Defying Expectations
by Caprice24
Summary: A retelling of the Izuku's story as he traverses hero society and unearths secrets best left untouched. The classic 'For Want of a Nail' type of fic, where Izuku starts off with a quirk, albeit a very weak one. Rated T for now, though might change to M later as darker themes are introduced.
1. Prologue - The Beginning

**Hello everyone. I've been a lurker on this website for quite a long time. I used to write before and am taking up the pen again. I know I'm probably very rusty, but any and all reviews to help me get better are welcomed and appreciated.**

**Heads up for people reading this.**

_Italics - thoughts _

**Bold - All Might in Buff Form**

_**Bold Italic - Buff All Might thinking, cause even his thinking is in**__** bold**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia in any form. Yet.**

**I hope you enjoy the story. I have made some alterations to canon which I will enumerate at the end.**

* * *

It was another regular day in Musutafu City. Bakers baked, students rushed to school, people shopped in malls, businessmen were busy on their phones and all in all it looked like your everyday city. Everything was completely normal and par for the course, including the guy snatching an old lady's purse and running off while _shooting lasers _from his eyes at the caped crusader _flying_ after him. This was an ordinary happening in a world where almost everyone had a quirk which would make them the envy of comic book heroes from a century ago.

Elsewhere, at Kaishi Preschool, a group of children were doing what children do best, having fun and making a mess at the same time, while playing their favorite game: Heroes vs Villains.

"Everything is fine citizens. Why you ask? It's because **I AM HERE!**" shouted a cute freckled green-haired boy as he flourished his arms towards the children acting as helpless citizens while pointing at his best friend.

"Prepare to DIE hero! I shall crush you and then become top hero!" shouted the said blonde best friend.

"Uh Kacchan, I don't think that was the plot we discussed."

"Who cares! I didn't wanna play a shitty villain dammit! This is the hidden motive of the villain I'm portraying. Now, prepare yourself hero!" exclaimed Bakugo as he swung his fist towards Izuku who matched him.

Suddenly, sparks flew from Bakugo's fist and pops could be heard as a miniature explosion flared into existence. At the same moment he felt his fist being pushed back by a small but unknown force.

Both Izuku and Bakugo froze and then looked at each other as if it to confirm that they weren't dreaming and were lucid. Then both whooped up in joy and started shouting together.

"My Quirk just activated!"

"Kacchan did you feel that! I felt myself pushing you. Oh my god, I can do so much with this. Can I just push objects out of the way or pull them to? How high is my weight limit? Can I push both organic and inorganic things? MaybeIcanusethistocreate…"

"Shut up! Who cares about that push! Did you see my hands? I created a freaking explosion. I have the coolest quirk ever! I'm gonna be the number 1 hero with this and be the greatest hero that ever lived!"

"You're right, your quirk looks amazing Kacchan. I wonder how big an explosion you can create. Your hand smells funny so maybe it has something to do with your sweat. Maybe you can store it for bigger explosions. Iwonderifitcancausedifferent…"

"Shut your mumbling. Let's finish this game!" shouted Bakugo with his characteristic irritation as he drew back his fist.

Izuku also raised his fist, albeit a bit meekly since his heart wasn't in the game anymore. As their fists connected, both of them tried to activate their quirks at the same time. Izuku felt the pushing force his punch exerted, yet it felt so laughably weak compared to the miniature explosions popping from Bakugo's hand. With a loud shout of "DIEEEEEEEEEEE" Izuku's fist was pushed back and Bakugo struck his chest, slightly singeing his clothes and knocking him down.

"YEAH! I win!" shouted Bakugo as he went on to show-off his quirk to the excited bystanders.

Unbeknownst to both of them, this encounter was a prelude to their future interactions for a long time.

* * *

"His quirk looks like it is the result of a mutation from your quirk caused by a negative interaction with your husbands quirk. He still has the vestigial toe joint which makes his having a quirk be an exception to the norm. Though from the previous records, these quirks tend to be weaker than their parent quirk, rather than being stronger as is the norm. It looks like currently he can push objects weighing about 2kg away from him for a range of 5 meters. Barring something extraordinary happening, I don't think this will increase too much over the years. All in all, a useful ability to have at home perhaps but I don't expect this to be hero caliber."

Izuku had rushed home in excitement after school, and continuously blabbered to his mom about how he had awakened his quirk and how it was so great and how he was going to be a great hero like All Might. They had immediately driven to the doctor to have his Quirk Assessment Test. It had taken an hour before the doctor came back with the results, and before his words systematically decimated Izuku's dreams and self-confidence.

Inko tried to keep a brave smile on her face for her son, her ball of sunshine. She looked angrily at the doctor and fumed, "You don't know that! His quirk could grow a lot over the years. You don't have to be so rude."

The doctor, used to dealing with overbearing and distraught mothers, raised his hand in a placating gesture. "I know Ma'am, but I was just spelling out how it looked from a scientific viewpoint. Nothing in the world is impossible after all, just that some events are more likely than others, and hence from my viewpoint, it is a bit far-fetched to expect this quirk to develop such that it becomes hero caliber."

His mind went to the other child he had tested today._ After all this is not even close to the boy with the explosions earlier. Now that is a hero's quirk if I've ever seen one. _

Izuku struggled to contain his tears and slowly accompanied his mom back to their car. Their drive back home was in an oppressive silence, with Izuku deep in his thoughts, and still looking on the verge of a breakdown. Inko was trying hard not to wail, seeing her baby in that condition, but knew she had to maintain a strong front for her boy.

Izuku immediately ran to his room on reaching home. Inko prepared a quick dinner and carried the tray to his room. She paused before the door and gathering her resolve, opened it.

Inside she found Izuku before the desktop, watching a video he had watched countless times before. He turned to his mother and with bleary eyes and a hoarse tone whispered, "Mom, even if the doctor says my quirk won't be hero caliber, I can still be like h-him right."

"I c-can still save people with a smile on my face, r-right mom? I can still follow All Might's footsteps, right? I can be a great h-hero right?"

The dam inside Inko burst and the tray fell from her hands, forgotten. She rushed to her boy and hugged his small form tightly as tears burst forth from her eyes.

"Izu, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry," wept Inko.

But these weren't the words Izuku wanted to hear from his mother. He had been looking for a reassurance not an apology and consolation. In another timeline, he might have become disheartened. In some other timelines, he might have fallen into a depression. However, in this timeline, neither of those happened. Seeing his mother's tears, determination filled him. He hugged his mom back and his following words imprinted themselves into Inko's mind.

"D-Don't cry mom. I promise you, I'll b-become a great hero. I'll show everyone. I'll d-defy all expectations mom. I'm not g-gonna give up. Ever!"

* * *

_Aww man, does he have to hit so hard. Geez, he should learn to hold back. What if he injures someone seriously? _Izuku's thoughts were filled with such complaints as he slowly trudged back home from school. Seven years had passed since that fateful day at Kaishi Preschool and he was now studying at Kawarimi, the only public school near his residence. And Bakugo was of course not just going to the same school as him but was also his classmate and the reason for his current distress.

Izuku had just defended yet another hapless victim from Bakugo's bullying and had taken his place as the subject of his ire. Their friendship had stagnated over the years, with Bakugo getting much too prideful for Izuku's tastes and keeping a company of lackeys that Izuku didn't desire associating with. Curiously though, Bakugo generally refrained from directly harassing Izuku, keeping his remarks to the snide "Useless Quirk" or "Deku don't get in my way", perhaps feeling an inkling of something for his ex-best friend. However, he didn't hold back when Izuku directly interfered in his attempts to show dominance over the extras. And so, Izuku was heading home with another singed shirt and slightly bruised ribs.

_One more year and then four more years of Junior High and then I can finally apply to U.A. Man time passes so slowly._ Izuku was in bit more of a funk than usual because he had hit a roadblock in his progress for Repel, the rather unoriginal name he had given his quirk while registering it. In his defense, he had only been 4 at that time.

After his proclamation of never giving up, Izuku had thrown himself into developing Repel as much as he could while also maintaining a good score in his studies. Whenever he had spare time, he practiced pushing objects around to try and increase his limits. He also made extensive notes on the quirks of heroes and his fellow students and took extensive care to think of strategies revolving around his quirk that he could use to face them in battle if it ever came to that.

It wasn't as if his efforts weren't bearing fruit. Though the weight limit for Repel was still only about 10 kg, its range had increased to 30 meters, meaning that he could push stuff in an area as large as a classroom with ease. He had also been practicing to Repel multiple objects at once and had been able to do upto four objects at once. However, as soon as he used his quirk on multiple objects, the weight for each got drastically cut down, such that while pushing four objects, he could move a combined mass of 5 kg only. And all these limits hadn't increased in the past six months despite his best efforts.

At least his 'Hero Analysis for the Future' volumes were coming along nicely, with 13 volumes already done. Silver linings as they say.

All in all, Izuku knew he was in a rut. He needed to think of something more to do with his quirk rather than just increasing its limits. He needed to go 'Plus Ultra' as U.A. liked to call it. And if he was ever going to get there, he had to adapt its motto right now. _Because all men aren't created equal, I need to work extra hard to catch up with the likes of Kacchan. But what do I do to make my quirk 'Plus Ultra'?_

It was then he chanced upon what would be a fateful conversation between two high schoolers walking home.

"Man, physics makes my head hurt. Like how is it even relevant with all these supernatural powers that we have. How do you explain anti-gravity or invisibility huh?"

"Actually, the recent scientific advances suggest that quirks can be explained scientifically. The quirk factor within us allows us to manifest forces. So, invisibility could be explained by refraction and anti-gravity could be due to opposite forces…"

"Dude, stop being such a nerd. Urgh all this talk of forces reminds me of that lecture by that guest professor from U.A. What with which direction the Force is applied from mattering a lot and how recoil is dealt with. Argh, just thinking of this is making my brain melt man. Let's hit up the arcade, what do you say?

"Sure. Maybe you can finally beat me at Mortal Combat XXXV."

"You're on, my dude. I'm gonna open a can of whoop-ass on you today for sure."

Whether that happened or not is a matter for another story as they are not the main characters of this story. The main character of this story however had a shocked expression on his face, as he realized the significance of what the author had made him overhear.

_This! I can work with this. I need to look up some science videos tonight for sure!_ And with this Izuku got back home with a spring on his step, only to be immediately subjected to his mother's not so tender fussing for coming back late and injured. After a lot of extra bandages and some delicious Katsudon for dinner, Izuku settled in his room, loaded up his desktop while taking out a battered copy of his most cherished notebook, 'Quirk Ideas for my Future' and settled himself for a long night of brainstorming.

* * *

"So, students, you have just one more year here at Aldera," said a serious looking teacher as he entered his class. "You should be thinking more seriously about your future. I'll now distribute the career aspiration documents." He then proceeded to throw the said documents because littering is fun right? "Oh who am I kidding, all of you want to be heroes right?!"

The whole class went up in an uproar simultaneously exhibiting their quirks, which was totally against school rules.

"Pff, don't put me in the same category as these extras," said a particularly brash blonde belligerently.

"That's right Bakugo, you want to apply for U.A. right?" responded the teacher while looking through his class notes, and not reprimanding Bakugo for his tone or words at all.

Bakugo basked in the whispers of U.A. High's notoriously difficult entrance and its place as the top hero school. He knew he could make it there because he had worked his socks off for it, far more than anyone he knew, except perhaps one. While people praised his quirk and natural genius, no one saw the sheer amount of hard work Bakugo put.

"Oh right, Midoriya, you're also applying for U.A. right?"

These words resounded inside Bakugo's mind. After a second to fully process what he heard, he turned his eyes to the boy meekly sitting at the back corner, who had been the target of countless bullying incidents over the years. Though he ignored Deku most of the time, his perpetual pestering presence always caused irritation to him. He saw how hard Deku tried, yet never saw any result worth mentioning coming out of it. Bakugo was practical to a large extent and seeing Deku waste his time trying to become a hero when he clearly didn't have the talent for it, no matter how hard he worked, irked him.

None of these thoughts were at the forefront of his mind though. For right now, his mind was consumed in anger. Anger at Deku trying hard again to no avail, anger at Deku trying to steal his limelight, anger at Deku to even think he was equal to him, anger at Deku for thinking he wasn't an extra, anger at Deku, anger at Deku, ANGER AT DEKU.

His fist burst in an explosion which sent his desk flying away. He then turned his bloodshot eyes to Deku and growled, "What makes you think they'll even take someone with as useless a quirk as yours huh? You dare think you're equal to me!"

Izuku was trembling, but he met Bakugo's stare defiantly. "Quirks aren't the only thing that matter. I scored well in their mock test too. Besides…" _I have a lot of surprises with my quirk that nobody has seen because they're too busy feeding their massive egos bullying others._

"Huhhhhhh? Can't hear you DEKU!" Bakugo then slammed his fist down on Izuku's table. The teacher, who had hitherto watched the confrontation without action, then cleared his throat and asked Bakugo to calm down as a suspension wouldn't look good on his record. Bakugo went back to his seat, but his eyes screamed further retribution.

_Hmph, what a joke! I almost get mauled here by Kacchan and all the teacher can think about is the record of his star pupil. I hate public school systems. _Izuku lamented as the bell rang for the end of school and he started collecting his notebooks, only to stop as a familiar fist slammed onto his desk for the second time that day.

"So, you really think you can make it to U.A. huh? What makes you think you have anything that can bring you on the same level as me?" questioned Katsuki, in a much calmer tone, though his eyes betrayed his smoldering anger. His eyes then alighted on the notebook on the table.

"Quirk Analysis for the Future Vol. 27? HUH. WHAT FUTURE DEKU?" shouted Bakugo as his hand landed on Izuku's shoulder with a light explosion, slightly burning it. "Get this through that thick head of yours that the only person who'll make it to U.A. from this public school of extras is ME. Capisce? And as for your future," Bakugo's hand lit up in an explosion which burned the notebook badly, which he then proceeded to throw out of the window.

"The best way to work for your future would be to jump out the window and hope to be reborn with a better quirk." Bakugo then walked away with his lackeys, paying little mind to the words he had just spoken.

_Idiot, what's he doing spouting things like that. What if someone committed suicide on hear that? That would reflect oh so well in his record now, wouldn't it?_ Izuku quietly gathered his things and went down and gathered his now burnt, soggy and fish bitten notebook from the fishpond. _Idiot fishes, eating anything they get_.

He then walked back home, ruminating in his thoughts. _Is a strong quirk really that necessary to be a hero? What makes a quirk strong? Is it versatility? That would make Kacchan's quirk quite strong, but mine is also strong then. Is it firepower? Wouldn't that be stupid, considering that heroes do rescue work more than fighting. Maybethereisametric…_

Not realizing that he was mumbling quite loudly, Izuku entered a tunnel and didn't realize the immediate danger he was in as a black mass oozed out of the manhole behind him.

"Hm, you'll do till I get a better one."

The black mass descended on Izuku, who turned around too late to save himself. Black, viscous sludge clogged his nose and mouth and Izuku started choking.

_C-Can't breathe. Wait, Izuku, d-don't panic. What's the first thing you need to do? Unclog airways. What then? Get away from the monster/villain/sludge/whateverthisis. Okay, so this is what I do._ Long accustomed to getting into tight corners due to bullying, Izuku had trained his mind to be able to think of objectives and actions quickly, inspired by a certain detective from two centuries ago. His plan of action formulated, Izuku used everything he had to first Repel the sludge covering his nose and mouth. The heavy, viscous sludge moved away only a few feet. He then used everything he had to repel against the side of the tunnel he was stuck to. The tunnel being much much heavier, didn't move an inch, but Newton's third Law came in handy, and Izuku was shot out of the corner.

He turned to take his bearings when the manhole cover exploded out and hit the tunnel roof.

"**Don't worry kid. For** **I AM HERE**!" said the voice which was the bringer of hope to people all over the world, unless they were into villainy. He released a powerful punch whose shockwave tore the sludge villain into pieces, when he then promptly collected in empty cola bottles. "**Are you all right kid?"  
**

"A-All M-Might!" shouted a hitherto shell-shocked Izuku as he came down from his adrenaline high. "C-Can I please have an a-autograph?"

"**Of course, you can kid**," boomed All Might in a tone still much too loud for one on one conversations as he signed Izuku's burnt 'Hero Analysis for the Future Vol. 27' while taking a cursory glance through it. _**Woah! This kid's analysis is incredibly detailed. Does he want to be a quirk researcher?**_

_**Shit my time limit's approaching. This piece of sludge took way too much time. **_**"I'm sorry for getting you involved in this mess kid. Such a rookie error by me. Anyway, I must be off. Take care kid."** And with a mighty bound All Might jumped away.

Except, something wasn't right. _**Huh, did I gain weight again? I definitely feel heavier. **_As he looked down, he say Izuku holding onto his leg for dear life.

"Waiiiiittt, I stiiiiill neeeeed toooo asskkkk sooooomeeethiiiing," Izuku shouted out with difficulty, what with his mouth being blown backwards by the winds created by All Might's Jump.

"**Let go Kid!"** shouted All Might as he tried to lodge the boy free. Something else fell free, which he failed to notice.

"I'll diiiiieeee iiiif I doooo thaaaat," whimpered Izuku. All might realizing the same, shouted at him to hold tight as he alighted on a nearby rooftop.

"**What were you thinking kid!" **boomed All Might. A little bit of blood came out of his lips and he realized too late that he was out of time.

Izuku meanwhile had shut his eyes and was wracking the best way to phrase his question to his idol. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Please All Might this is really important to me. Is a strong quirk necessary to be a hero? If so, what exactly makes a quirk strong?" He then looked up, only to shriek like a baby and fall back on his haunches on seeing an emaciated man with his eyes covered in shadow vomiting blood.

"W-where's All Might? Where did he go? Who are you?"

All Might sighed, as he explained about his 5 year old injury and how a Symbol of Peace couldn't afford to succumb to evil. He then asked Izuku to keep this quiet, before proceeding to answer his question.

"I won't lie kid. Having a strong quirk definitely makes becoming a hero easier. As for what makes a quirk strong, a lot of things like versatility, firepower, ease of use come into play. I think the most important thing is how the user can use it. Every quirk can be strong, so I would say anyone can be a hero. However, with some quirks, it's much easier to see what to do with them, like say super strength or pyrokinesis, while for other's its much harder. Don't worry though, even if you don't have a quirk easily suited for hero work, you can still help out by being part of the police, or the rescue forces. There's plenty of ways to become useful to society." With that, and another request to keep his condition a secret, All Might walked away to hand the villain over to the authorities, leaving behind a thoughtful Izuku.

_The most important thing is how the user uses it huh. My quirk has no firepower, but maybe I can still do this. Indirectly, if I use it well, doesn't this mean I can be a great hero. Well, that's definitely validation. From All Might, no less! And i also got his autograph! Today is such a good day~_

Shrouded in happy thoughts, Izuku continued his journey home. Only to come to a crashing stop as he heard shrieks around the corner.

"The Slime Monster is back."

"He's attacking a kid right now."

"Wasn't All Might after him? What happened to that?"

Terrified, Izuku turned the corner and saw the sludge villain from before engulfing a student from his school, while surrounded by a blazing inferno. He realized with horror that it was probably his fault the villain got free in the first place. Seeing the pro heroes not taking any action due to their quirks not being suitable filled Izuku with indignation. _Aren't pros supposed to be able to defy the odds._

All rational thought left his mind however when he saw the terrified eyes of the boy caught by the villain and recognized his hair. Without conscious thought, he had already broken into a run and ducked past the cordon set up by the police. Unaware of the pros screaming in the background, he rushed towards the villain, as his brain conjured the best plan for action, while being carefully watched by a set of piercing blue eyes.

_Okay, first things first, I need to make sure Kacchan can breathe. If I use Repel only on the sludge, both of them will be pushed. My Repel isn't strong enough to push just Kacchan. Damnit, think Izuku. Oh wait, this might work. It'll at least buy us some time._

With a plan of action formulated, Izuku used Repel on Bakugo while using Repel in the other direction on the Sludge Villain. It had taken years of practice, but he had finally been able to control the direction of Repel to not just be outwards away from him but being in any direction as long as he concentrated properly. However, while this was effectively pulling the target and not pushing, its range and strength were vastly reduced. It was still enough to create an air gap between Bakugo and the villain, and Bakugo wasted no time in unleashing a point blank explosion to create a further separation, before dissolving into a hacking cough as he took in a huge lungful of breath.

They weren't out of immediate danger however, as Izuku noticed that they were now surrounded by the slime on one side and the inferno on the other. The noxious odor was making him nauseous, but his brain was working at a hundred miles a minute to come up with something which could save them both.

As the villain closed in, Izuku hadn't thought of anything useful yet. In a last ditch effort, he grabbed Bakugo from the ground and with the help of Repel threw him up and beyond the reach of the Slime, leaving him trapped between it and the fire.

Bakugo watched in mute terror as he realized what Izuku had just done. Before he could shout anything though, a loud voice boomed.

"**Fear not children. For I AM HERE."** All might then threw an almighty punch which not only cleared the villain, but changed the weather pattern and caused a shower to douse the fire. To be able to do so much with just one punch showed the genius behind the Number 1 hero, or maybe just his extraordinary luck. In any case, the situation was defused, and after receiving a sound scolding from the pro heroes for jumping in without a plan (_I had a plan! And what were you guys doing anyway.)_ Izuku started trudging back home.

He was halted on his path by a loud shout from his least favorite blonde, however.

"DEKUUUU! What the fuck do you think you were doing? Don't think I needed your shitty help or anything. I had the situation under control dammit."

"Yeah, Kacchan, you're right. I'm sorry." Not wanting any further altercations Izuku quickly agreed and started to hurry back home.

"Deku, I'm sorry for what I said earlier…"

Izuku paused as he thought he heard Bakugo apologizing, but on turning behind, and finding the street empty, chalked it up to his imagination. _Heh, imagine Kacchan apologizing. Now wouldn't that be something._

He was stopped yet again though by a whirlwind rounding the corner, which turned out to be his most favorite blond in the whole world. He boomed, **"I AM HERE"** and then promptly vomited blood.

"A-All M-Might?! What are you doing here? Oh, if it's about the incident, I am really sorry about jumping in like that." And Izuku started bowing repeatedly.

"No kid," said the skeletal All Might. "You remember earlier when you asked if you needed a strong quirk to become a hero. I had forgotten to mention the most important part of being a hero. You see all the great heroes had something in common, when they saw someone in danger, they couldn't stop themselves from going to help them. This spirit of self-sacrifice is what makes a real hero. Kid, what's your name?"

Izuku, who had become increasingly overcome with emotion while All Might was speaking, blubbered out, "I-Izuku Midoriya sir."

"Young Midoriya, I do not know what your quirk is. I don't even care if you have a quirk. Let me tell you this. You can, no, you definitely will become a great hero."

Izuku broke down. Before he had conjured indirect validation, but this, hearing his idol say that he could become a hero no matter what, this was what made all the hours spent working for it worth it. Sniffling, he looked up with teary eyes and said, "T-T-Thank you A-All M-Might, you have no idea how much that means to me."

"I have some idea I think Young Midoriya. But anyway, there's one more important matter, rather request, I have to discuss. Young Midoriya, will you become my successor and inherit my power."

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," shouted Izuku and then promptly fainted.

* * *

**I thought this was a good place to end the chapter. Let me know what you thought about it, and whether you'd like longer or shorter chapters.**

**So the changes from canon are:**

**1\. Izuku has a quirk. I hope to develop it and have a rational growth in power.**

**2\. All the people are aged 2 years up. So by the time they enter U.A. they'll be 17. I think the students in BnHA are a bit too young for the dark themes they will face.**

**3\. Izuku's Quirk Analysis Volumes are up to 27 as he is including how to battle each hero with his quirk if the situation arises.**

**Until next time,**

**Caprice24.**


	2. Chapter 1 - My Hero Academy

**Addressing a couple of queries from the reviews and direct messages:**

**1\. The Izuku in the story has a lot of canon traits, but he is not exactly canon Izuku. For one, he is not submissive, and a bit more confident. I want to be able to flesh out a realistic character using Izuku's noticeable traits, but with the added condition of him having a quirk at 4.**

**2\. Izuku will get One for All as I feel it is important for my story later. As to how it's going to be used, this chapter should give a clear indication.**

**As always:**

_Italic - Thoughts/Emphasis/Flashback_

**Bold - All Might in Buff Form**

_**Bold Italic - All Might thinking in Buff Form, cause even his thinking is in bold**_

**Disclaimer: The deal to hand over the rights of Boku no Hero Academia to me hasn't been concluded yet, so it still doesn't belong to me.  
**

**I hope you like the chapter. Feel free to leave a review outlining any thoughts or changes you'd like to see.**

* * *

"Hey, you, you're finally awake," said a mildly familiar voice as Izuku regained consciousness.

Faintly wondering if he was going to wake up in a carriage on the way to his execution, Izuku rubbed his eyes and looked around. He saw that he was lying on the street about two blocks from his house, his bag was lying at his side, his 'Quirk Analysis for the Future Vol. 27' had spilled out of his bag, the skeletal form of All Might was looking at him with concern, the sky was getting dark, so he should really be getting back home soon…

Wait.

Skeletal form of All Might.

ALL MIGHT.

Who had just asked him to become his successor and inherit his quirk.

"Um All Might?"

"Yes, Young Midoriya?"

"Can you slap me?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

After receiving a resounding slap from the Number 1 Hero and then receiving an explanation of what One for All was, there was only one thing left for Izuku to do.

"YES, I WILL BE YOUR SUCCESSOR," Izuku shouted in a voice which woke up some of the dead in Egypt and caused mild chaos for a while, but that's a story for another fic.

"Now, **that's what I like to hear**," boomed All Might, reverting back to his buff form before vomiting blood and turning back. "Kid, it's getting late so you should get back home. Come meet me tomorrow at 6 a.m. at Dagobah Beach."

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow All Might!"

Izuku skipped back home, his mind alight with a new determination to be worthy of becoming All Might's successor and to become the next Symbol of Peace. He was a bit worried that he might not be able to sleep that night due to the excitement of meeting his idol next morning but as soon as he lay down on his bed after having dinner and reassuring his mother that he was fine and had no part to play in the incident involving Bakugo _(some lies are for the greater good)_, he was out cold, the day's excitement having caught up to him.

* * *

The next day, early morning joggers who frequented the park near Dagobah Beach swore that they heard shrieks of what sounded like a teen boy, followed by booming laughs. While this was dismissed as a hoax by others, the truth was something much more sinister…or not.

"**This is a nice comfortable fridge. If only it started moving, it would make for a great ride,**" boomed All Might, seated upon said fridge which was tied to a rope and was being hauled by a shirtless, panting, freckled teenager.

"All Might, how is this fair! The fridge is heavy in and of itself but aren't you like 274 kilos on top of it!" wailed the teen as he tried to desperately move the fridge and its baggage without using Repel. Not that it would have helped with the monstrous burden anyway.

"**Come now, I am only 255 kilos. I lost some weight, like my new figure?**" laughed All Might as he struck a pose. This would have normally set Izuku fanboying, but he was in no position to share his idol's mirth.

"Why are we doing this again?" Izuku suddenly asked, after trying in vain to move All Might and the fridge for 15 minutes. While he had immediately complied with All Might's instructions as soon as he had arrived on the beach, he now felt he owed his sore muscles an explanation for their agony.

All Might reverted to his skeletal form and explained, "See, in your current state, if you inherit my power, your body will be unable to handle it. Literally. Think of a gas cylinder when the gas pressure inside it increases too much. That's what'll happen to your body."

Izuku gulped as his mind visualized an Izuku cylinder being blasted to bits by One for All. "So, I'm doing this to build up my muscles?"

"Yes, exactly. You're not exactly scrawny, which I guess is the result of you training your quirk, but you're no shining example of fitness either. You're aiming for U.A. right? Is it just because it's my Alma Mater?"

"I-Initially that was the case, since you were the hero I was aspiring to be. But as I was growing up, I decided to fixate on U.A. not just because of you, but because I believe that it would be the best place to learn how to be a great hero and help others. Also U.A. is known for challenging its students and I want to become a hero who can defy all odds and overcome any challenges!"

All might looked down at his protégé and his eyes filled with manly tears at the sheer selflessness and determination showed by him. He involuntarily shifted back to his buff form.

"**That's why I've drafted this plan for you. It's called 'Aim to Pass! American Dream Plan!' If everything goes according to plan, then you should be able to inherit my quirk a couple of days before the entrance exam in ten months." **

"That's cutting it a bit close isn't it! But anyway, why are we hauling trash here for this plan."

"**See, the plan is only half of it. I feel the word Hero has gotten muddled over time. Though I am the 'Symbol of Peace' and it pains me to say so, I feel most of the current heroes forget that the origin of hero work was community service. This used to be a beautiful beach where people could enjoy the view. Look at it now! It's a trash heap and no one bothers to clean it. So, on the first step to becoming the next Symbol of Peace, I want you to remember the roots from which heroes came from."**

Izuku could only gape at the depths to which his idol thought as he delivered his words. People all over the world saw him smile and heard him shout, "**I AM HERE**." How many people saw this introspective side of the Number 1 Hero. Filled with inspiration, Izuku cried out, "I promise you All Might! Come what may, no matter how miserable I become, I'll clear the beach and do everything in your plan and more! I'll announce to the world that **I AM HERE** starting from this beach and no amount of pain will stop me."

Suddenly, seeing a sinister glint entering All Might's eyes, Izuku was filled with a sense of foreboding. This proved to be accurate as he came to regret his words a lot over the coming months, words which All Might had sneakily recorded and played back every time he thought of even voicing a complaint. However, Izuku was not one to give up. Regardless of his lack of sleep, regardless of his constant body aches, regardless of his sore muscles, regardless of his punishing schedule, Izuku had promised himself and his mother.

He.

Wouldn't.

Give.

Up.

And he didn't.

* * *

Two days before the U.A. High Entrance Exam, All Might walked into Dagobah Beach at 7:00 a.m. to check on the progress of his protégé. He hadn't been able to check up on him for a couple of weeks due to formalities regarding his new position as a teacher of U.A., so he was excited to see how much further Izuku had come.

Izuku had already surprised All Might with his extreme tenacity. His occasional mumbling, shyness, tendency to fanboy…his _minute _flaws aside, he was just what he was looking for in his successor.

As the beach came into view, All Might's jaw dropped.

"Oh my…oh my…**GOODNESS**."

The entire beach was sparkling, without a hint of trash. Not only had the 9th inheritor of One for All cleaned more than just the segment All Might had assigned to him, he had even taken the time out to put prominent signs proclaiming the beauty of Dagobah Beach and how it was a litter-free zone.

The Number 1 hero took in the beautiful expanse of the beach and then his eyes alighted on the tired but triumphant form of a shirtless Izuku who had just let out a victorious yell from on top of the trash heap. He quickly caught the boy before he fell down.

"A-All M-Might. I c-completed t-the first step, right? I…I AM HERE!" Izuku weakly raised his fist.

"**Yes, Young Midoriya. You definitely did. Not just that, look at how far you've come**."

After seeing the comparison between his form from 10 months ago and now, Izuku lit up in a smile. His previous tiredness forgotten, he replied with gusto, "Not just my physical form, All Might! I have been able to Repel up to 40 kg now! That's nearly double my previous limit. Though my range didn't increase, I can now use Repel in other directions to pull much larger weights. I should have known quirks like mine which use direct force would have some correlation with physical fitness. WhytheotherdayIreadastudy…"

"**W-Well done, Young Midoriya**," All Might hastily interrupted the mumble-storm. "**Now, it is time for you to inherit my power!"**

Izuku's eyes started sparkling. After ten months of torture, he was finally ready to become All Might's successor. _I wonder how the power will get transferred. Is he going to draw a seal or something? Or maybe there's a ritual. Or maybe he punches his power into me. _

_Okay, I definitely don't want the last one._

While Izuku was pondering the mechanics of transferring power, All Might had plucked a hair and taken a water bottle out. Seeing his protégé's dumbfounded look, he explained, "One for All is inherited by the willing transfer of DNA. So, eat up, the water will help you wash it down."

_Wash it down! What is this, some kind of extravagant main course! Can I have the punch now please?_ Izuku groaned as he prepared himself for a closer encounter with his idol's shampoo than he was ready for. _Okay, just another day Izuku, pros eat hair all the time._ And so, convincing himself with a definite lie Izuku swallowed the hair and washed it down.

_Strawberry and Coconut? What a weird combination._

"**It'll take about half an hour for it to be assimilated in your system. Meanwhile, come with me, there's somewhere we need to go."**

Izuku accompanied All Might to his car as All Might reverted back. His exhaustion from earlier caught up to him, and he decided that All Might's car was definitely not a bad place to take a nap.

* * *

"Wake up. We're here."

Izuku woke up with a start and then on realizing where he was, started hyperventilating.

_T-t-that's the U.A. High gate! T-that means we're at U.A. right now! M-my p-possible f-future s-school._ Barely keeping himself from passing out, Izuku turned to All Might.

"W-Why are we here All Might?"

"We need to see how your quirk has assimilated with One for All and do a medical check-up of your body now that it has One for All. We also need to test your quirk in a safe place, and I don't know any place safer than this in this city. Come now, Young Midoriya, you didn't think I would just give you my quirk and say some random words like go smash and leave you to the dogs, right?"

"Of course not sir! No way is that realistic," agreed Izuku.

They walked over to what looked like a huge hospital wing. An elderly lady walked out.

_N-No way!_

"All Might. What are you doing here? And who's this young lad with you?" enquired the lady.

"I-Izuku Midoriya ma'am. And you're the Youthful Heroine – Recovery Girl! Can I please have your autograph?" Izuku took out his emergency autograph pen and notebook and bowed towards the lady.

All Might sweat-dropped. _Where did he even take that out from?_

Recovery girl smiled and obliged Izuku's request.

"He's the 9th, Chiyo. We've come for the testing."

"Oh, so he's the young boy you were gushing about. Thank god you listened to me and brought him here first instead of just letting him give the exam without testing as you had planned."

Izuku raised his eyebrows and looked at All Might who noticeably avoided his gaze.

"A-Anyway, let's start with the testing. Let Recovery Girl take some blood from you and do some tests and we can then proceed to a training ground."

After Recovery Girl took two whole vials of blood and subjected him to some painful tests, handing him some gummy bears after them, Izuku accompanied All Might to a training ground. There was a medium sized robot with a 2 painted on it, standing in the middle of the ground.

_Looks like they were only able to spare a 2-pointer for us. Well that's okay._

"Okay, Young Midoriya. Have at it."

"H-have at it?! What do I do? How do I activate One for All?"

"Hmm, let's see. **Clench your butt-cheeks my boy and then scream this from the bottom of your heart while unleashing everything you got,**" said All Might as he took a pose which was replicated by Izuku.

"**SMAAAAAAAASH**."

"SMAAAAAAAAASH."

The poor robot stood no chance. It was obliterated by the powerful punch released by Izuku. However, it wasn't the only thing that was destroyed.

"Aaaaaaaaah," sobbed Izuku in pain as he could feel his arm break in half after releasing that powerful punch.

_**O-Okay, maybe using 100% of One for All wasn't the best idea here. That punch still seemed a bit weak for a full powered punch though. **_Shaking aside these observations, All Might hurried Izuku to Recovery Girl.

After receiving a sound scolding for their idiocy from Recovery girl accompanied by the generous usage of her cane, she kissed Izuku on his arm, and Izuku watched with amazement as he felt his bones snap back together. It was not an entirely unpleasant sensation. The crippling exhaustion which accompanied it though was.

"Listen kid. I know you're tired, but I found something very important from your blood samples and the tests," Chiyo said in an uncharacteristically grim tone.

"The news isn't good I'm afraid."

* * *

"Izu, breakfast is ready."

"Coming mom."

Inko smiled on seeing Izuku devouring her pancakes. Today was an important day for her boy, and even though he had imposed a strict high-protein low-carb diet for himself for the past ten months, he had requested to have his second favorite food before his exam. Inko had, of course, happily obliged.

Seeing her son try so hard to become a great hero to help others always brought a tear to her eyes. His ringing proclamation from 12 years ago never entirely left her thoughts.

Inko had seen Izuku's hard work over the years. However, when his training had suddenly stepped up ten months ago, she had initially been very worried. Her darling boy looked constantly exhausted and would only eat the bland food he insisted was needed for his workout.

Inko didn't interfere though. On some introspection, she had realized many years ago that the four year old Izuku had been yearning for a vote of confidence from his mother, which she had failed to provide. She had promised herself that no matter how much it hurt her to see Izuku's tough path, she would support him all the way. And support she did, coming up with new recipes which would fulfill Izuku's dietary needs while being tasty, getting him a gym membership by saving up and not buying new clothes and always being there for her boy in place of his father.

Her boy's determination always fueled her own and his smile always elicited one of her own. Two days ago, he had come home from his 'morning workout' as he called it, looking absolutely crushed which had Inko fretting with worry for the whole day. But Izuku had bounced back the next day, and Inko felt the familiar paternal conflict of being proud that her son was dealing with whatever problems arose on his own and being sad that her son was growing up and didn't need her help anymore.

"Izu, are you ready sweetie?"

"Yes, mom. I've packed everything I need."

Inko warmly embraced her son. "All the best for today dear. And remember, whatever happens, you will always be my hero."

Izuku teared up and hugged his mom back.

"I'll make you proud mom." _And All Might_. "I'm off. I'll message you when I'm there."

Izuku took off, mentally preparing himself to give the most important exam of his life.

* * *

All the preparation went out of the window when he saw the sheer amount of students attempting the examination.

_W-wow. S-so many people. So many different quirks. That guy looks like a raven! Does that guy have six arms! Wow that girl has horns! C-can I do this? There are so many people who look really talented here._

Izuku paused and then slapped himself hard on both cheeks.

_Of course I can. I will defy all expectations. I will make Mom, and All Might proud. Onward Izuku with confidence!_

And Izuku confidently took a step and tripped.

As he lamented his clumsiness, Izuku wondered why the ground was taking so long to greet his face, before realizing that he was suspended in mid-air.

"I'm sorry for using my quirk on you without permission. It just seemed like a bad omen for you to trip before the exam ya know! Here, I'll release you."

Izuku turned to thank his savior and froze up.

_A g-girl!_ Faced with a cute feminine presence Izuku's brain decided it was the best time to reboot all systems.

"I'm sure you're very nervous. I know I am! Good luck to ya."

As the girl departed, Izuku had one thought fill his mind.

_I JUST TALKED TO A GIRL._

The author would like to point out that Izuku didn't actually say anything.

Cheered, Izuku felt the day was off to a great start.

"Get out of my fucking way Deku."

Of course, the universe could never be kind to him for too long. As Izuku sidestepped the approaching Bakugo, he couldn't help but reflect on the changes in Bakugo following the incident with the Slime Villain. Bakugo had stopped picking on Izuku, or just anyone in general, and Izuku had seen him come to class looking absolutely exhausted multiple times. Not that Izuku was much better, all he could remember from the past ten months was a constant feeling of exhaustion and pushing past his limits.

After completing the written examination, and feeling very confident about his performance in it, he walked into the assembly hall for the practical exam and got seated next to Bakugo _(why Kacchan of all people)_. He noticed who was addressing the students and his eyes gleamed in excitement.

"I-It's Present Mic! His radio shows and podcasts are so cool! U.A. is so incredible for having pro heroes as its lecturers. His voice is said to…."

"Shut your mouth Deku or I'll shut it for you."

Izuku clamped up, amid some snickers from nearby students. He still couldn't stop himself from internally fanboying about another pro hero that he was seeing in the flesh.

As Present Mic announced the characteristics of the three different type of robots that they would face in the practical examination and how people from the same middle school were separated over the various training grounds, he was rudely interrupted by a serious looking bespectacled boy.

"Excuse me sir but the pamphlet distributed to us earlier clearly mentions we will face four different types of robots. If this is a typo, then it would bring shame to such a prestigious institution as U.A. High. And you," he pointed at Izuku. "Can you not sit still for a single moment? Do you think U.A. is a pleasure jaunt? If your only desire is to distract others, then please leave at once!"

"Woah there, calm down #7111. I was just getting to the fourth robot. You see, he's a gimmick, of the likes you'll find in old video games. Sometimes, on the field, you're faced with challenges that are above your weight class. Sometimes running is the best strategy, you feel me? This robot represents that. It is worth 0 points so my advice is to get away from it as fast as you can when you do see it. Well that concludes the announcements, head to your training grounds as mentioned in your passes. And remember, go PLUS ULTRA!"

Izuku headed to training ground G and noticed that the girl from before was assigned here as well. She seemed to be doing some form of breathing exercise. Realizing that he hadn't thanked her for before, he had just taken a step towards her when the boy from before blocked his way.

_Wow, he's solidly built. Reminds me of an engine._

"Do you intend to continue your disruption here as well? That girl looks like she is focusing. Do you really derive fun in interfering with others?"

A small spark of irritation creeped into Izuku. He had just wanted to thank the girl after all. Before he could reply, he was interrupted by a loud "GO" booming over the speakers.

"What, real life has no countdowns aspiring heroes. Your ten minutes have already begun!"

Realizing that he had no time to lose, Izuku dashed towards the training ground, which resembled a ruined city, and started looking for nearby robots.

He spotted a couple of 1-pointers zooming towards him on their wheels, armed with batons. Recalling Present Mic's words of them being fast but light and weak, Izuku baited them into a corner and then used Repel to make sure that they wouldn't be able to change their trajectory as quickly. Both of the robots crashed into the wall and were destroyed.

_That's 2._

He saw a 2-pointer followed by two 1-pointers in the next block. The 2-pointer fired two sets of missiles at him (assured to be non-deadly by Present Mic) while the 1-pointers rushed straight at him.

_I can do this!_ Rapidly calculating the trajectory of the missile and the approaching 1-pointers, Izuku Repelled the missiles straight into their paths, decimating the 1-pointers. The 2-pointer, perhaps realizing the folly of missiles due to its programming, decided to rush Izuku with a huge baton, but was knocked off its trajectory by the batons of the destroyed 1-pointers which Izuku had Repelled in its path. Seeing a piece of loose debris above the 2-pointer, Izuku used a full force Repel on it to knock it down on the 2-pointer's head.

_That's 6._

On the next intersection, he found a lot of students and an even larger number of robots. He saw a 3-pointer raise its laser ("It'll only cause a mild burn, I promise," Present Mic exclaimed) and was preparing to take cover when another laser pierced its flank and destroyed it.

"~Art of Seduction~. Nice team play distracting the robot~," a blonde student surrounded by sparkles, exclaimed.

_Is his quirk the Sparkles or the Laser? It's so cool nonetheless!_ Izuku halted that thought to Repel a couple of missiles about to hit the blonde towards nearby buildings. The blonde didn't even notice the missiles or Izuku's intervention and walked away to find his next target.

Seeing the chaos at the intersection, Izuku smiled. This was where Repel, coupled with his quick analysis, would really shine.

* * *

"A promising crop of young talent, isn't it," remarked a calm voice, sipping a cup of tea. He was surrounded by numerous people observing the action on multiple cameras.

"Yes, and some of the talent looks downright tasty," purred a female snapping her whip.

"Nemuri, don't make me call the police," admonished a man as he adjusted his hat with his gun.

"Oh come on, you know I'm joking."

"Your jokes are always in bad taste," replied a tired sounding voice.

"I don't want to hear that from you Aizawa. Do you even know what a joke is?"

While the people bickered, they still kept a sharp eye on the happenings of the practical exam.

"Three minutes left? Time to release the gimmick, boss?"

"Do it Hizashi," the creature replied. As Present Mic pressed a large red button while cackling evilly, he turned towards Aizawa and asked, "Anyone who's caught your eye?"

Homing into the camera with a certain green-haired individual, Aizawa replied, "Perhaps."

Another set of piercing blue eyes in the room had never left the camera following the green-haired boy.

"Young Midoriya, you never do give up."

All Might recalled the events from two days earlier.

* * *

"_The news isn't good I'm afraid."_

"_What's the matter ma'am?"_

"_Your quirk fused with One for All. This isn't entirely unexpected, as after all One for All was created by a fusion of two quirks. The problem here is we don't know what effect it'll have on your quirk. This isn't the bad news though, as most likely, a positive change will develop out of it. The bad news is how your body has become accustomed to Repel."_

"_What do you mean Chiyo? Is Young Midoriya's body not able to handle One for All?"_

"_No, his body is strong enough to contain it, though I daresay he needs much more training and conditioning if he wants to go all out. The problem is, Repel causes a recoil, which his muscles have developed to absorb unless Izuku specifically wants to use the recoil. One for All creates a surge of power which you want to throw out in a punch right? His muscles, exemplary as they are in absorbing the recoil from Repel, are not well suited to expel force at all. So even while throwing out One for All at maximum power, his muscles will be holding some of the power back."_

"_So that's why I felt that the 100% punch was a bit weak! Is there nothing he can do Chiyo?"_

"_I don't know. I don't see anyway, unless he makes himself a new body or is prepared to not use the full strength of One for All. Strangely though, I feel like the force you generate when using Repel isn't held back at all be your muscles. Perhaps you could use this in some way. All I can say is, I don't think you'll ever be able to just smash your opponents away like All Might did."_

_Izuku could only nod dumbly. All Might saw the expression on his successor's face while dropping him home and couldn't help but flinch at the moroseness which had come over Izuku. He tried to find some words of encouragement, but failed as he knew how much his protégé idolized him and how much of a shock it was for him._

_As he saw Izuku walk away, he hope Izuku would be able to get out of his funk with his brilliant mind._

* * *

"Looks like you did get out of your funk, my boy. However, this now is the true test of a hero."

* * *

Izuku jumped over a 3-pointer and dodged its laser beam while directing four sets of missiles from two different 2-pointers onto it. The 3-pointer exploded in a blaze of glory behind Izuku.

_That's 21._

"Three minutes left," announced the speakers as a massive rumbling shook the city.

_Three minutes huh. I've found my groove, I think I can get up to about 40 at this rate. Should be good enough right?_ Izuku wondered as he scrambled, Repelling more rockets away from fellow participants towards nearby buildings. His mode of fighting, where he had been helping out other students while using the robots' weapons on themselves, had caught the attention of a few people, and inspired them to do the same. As a result, almost every student in the intersection was relatively uninjured.

Suddenly, the sky got blotted out, as an absolute monstrosity of a robot appeared, towering over the buildings.

_Where were they even hiding that?!_ Izuku exclaimed as he, along with his fellow examinees, started skedaddling away from the massive 0-pointer.

Izuku halted.

_Did I imagine that? _He turned around on the spot and listened. _No, that's definitely a cry for help, and it's coming from the direction of that monstrosity!_

Izuku ran back and paled as he saw the girl from earlier trapped under rubble below the 0-pointer.

_Isn't the robot gonna stomp her at this rate! What do I do?! Do I try it here?_

* * *

"Do I stop it boss?"

"No, wait. I think something interesting is going to happen," responded Nedzu, as his eyes homed into the determined look of the green haired boy before the robot.

* * *

Izuku recalled what he had theory-crafted the day before.

* * *

_As Izuku went over his 'Quirk Ideas for my Future' notebook for the umpteenth time, he tried to think of a way to use One for All at full strength. His eyes then alighted on the first page of his notebook again. In childish handwriting, he had written how happy he was to have a quirk and that he had decided to name it Repel._

_Izuku's eyes widened._

_He already had a quirk. Repel._

_What had All Might said again? One for All is the crystallization of Power of previous holders. Power, which doesn't necessarily have to be punching right? Power which can be used to fuel other quirks! And Recovery Girl had said that my muscles don't hold back my Repel at all!_

_So, what if I use One for All, not in itself, but to fuel Repel. I've gotta tell All Might after the exam!_

_A smile broke out on Izuku's face as he exclaimed, "I'll be the next Symbol of Peace All Might! And I'll do it my way!"_

* * *

_Okay then, time to give this a shot. _Izuku rapidly calculated what he needed to do. _So, I use Repel and One for All together from my legs. That should give me the elevation needed to come face to face with the monstrosity. From what I see of its structure, a strong enough blow at its face should destabilize it enough so that it falls backwards. As we were all advancing towards this area, and this appears to be almost the end of the training ground, there should be no one behind, so it should be okay if the robot falls. Then while I'm falling down, I'll use a Repel at about 20 feet to momentarily stop my fall. That should be enough as I can easily jump down from that height thanks to my training._

Plan of action formulated, Izuku channeled Repel in his legs, a breakthrough he had made only last month, and boosted it with One for All. He then came face to face with the robot.

"Take this you overgrown piece of junk! DETROIT SMAAASSSSH," Izuku cried as he extended his right fist while channeling Repel and One for All through it.

A massive fist sized depression appeared on the face of the robot.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then, to the amazement of the examiners and examinees, the robot gave a deafening roar and started imploding while falling backwards.

As Izuku's mind came down from the adrenaline high, he realized the fatal flaw in his plan. He had not accounted for his legs and arm being absolutely shredded due to using both his quirks together.

_Aaaaaaah! My arm and legs are on fiiireeeee. I don't think I broke anything, so why is this so painfulllllllll. Arghhhh! No time, need to Repel with my Left arm or I'll die! I can't die now; I have to become a hero and help people!_

Blinking away the tears, Izuku got prepared to channel Repel through his left arm to save his life.

A slap rung throughout the clearing.

Izuku looked on in shock as the girl from before slapped him just as he was about to use Repel. She was riding the piece of debris that had crushed her before. He felt himself slow down and then stop mid-air.

"R-Release," breathed the girl, as both of them returned to Mother Earth. Izuku heard her barf and looked away just in time as she unloaded her lunch.

_W-Whew. Looks like she's safe._

"Time's Up" announced Present Mic on the speakers. "Standby for medical attention if you're injured."

"I wonder if 21 points will be enough," Izuku sighed.

The girl heard him, but before she could say anything, she was handed a gummy bear by Recovery Girl and given a short peck on the cheek.

"Here you go dearie. Go on, you should be okay now. I need to check up on some rather reckless teenagers here."

The girl nodded and walked away. Izuku felt Recovery Girl approaching and got ready for a big scolding.

He wasn't disappointed. After receiving the mother of all scolding's, she scanned Izuku with a handheld device and then gave him three wet kisses on his cheek.

"Looks like you shredded all the skin and muscles in your arm and legs. It'll reknit but you're going to be absolutely exhausted for the next couple of days," saying so, she instructed a few of the medical robots to take Izuku to the hospital wing for a couple of hours and then went to check on the other participants.

Izuku could already feel the pain flare as his muscles started reknitting and skin started reforming. He settled himself for a painful couple of hours.

* * *

The next week went very slowly for Izuku. His mother had flooded the apartment with her crying when Izuku had returned with a long scar on his arm, from the elbow to the wrist, a reminder of his recklessness as Recovery Girl put it.

He had tried contacting All Might to tell him about the test but had failed to do so. After promising his mother to not exert himself too much for the week, Izuku had spent the week sketching up new ideas for synergizing his two quirks together and catching up on same of his favorite manga and anime shows.

On the day of the results, Izuku was a nervous wreck. He continuously paced the apartment. Inko was no better. She had already gone through all her nails and had taken to obsessively mopping the same place in the kitchen over and over again. As Izuku's pacing lead him to his room, he heard his mom cry out.

"I-Izu, it's here!"

Running towards his mother and almost snatching the official looking envelope from her, he asked his mom, "Can I open this alone first mom?"

Inko understood his desire for privacy and obliged.

Izuku went to his room and opened the envelope, which revealed a small hologram projector.

"**I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION**," boomed All Might.

"A-All Might?! Isn't this from U.A.?"

"**I'm sorry for not being able to contact you earlier. I had to complete the final formalities. Don't worry though, as I imagine we'll see a lot of each other, since I now teach at U.A. High! You see, besides finding a successor, this was the reason I had returned to Japan in the first place…Eh, what's that? Cut to the chase quickly? But I was in the middle of telling him something important. Oh whatever, I'll tell him later."**

"**Ahem, Izuku Midoriya, you had an exemplary written exam and placed in the top 3. However, your practical score was a bit below average with your villain point total being 21.**"

_I could have done better. I feel I've let All Might down. _

"**Of course, that's if the practical exam only had villain points. Before I explain further, have a look at the following videos."**

A shocked Izuku watched as the sparkling guy from before used his laser to intercept the laser of a 3-pointer who had sneaked up on an examinee. There were numerous other clips of people from his zone helping each other out.

Then the girl from before came up on the screen.

"P-Present Mic sir, Is it possible to share points with someone?"

"Young lady, why do you ask so?"

"That boy who saved me earlier, I overheard that he had 21 points. I remember him helping me out from some sneak attacks from the robots while I was busy taking other robots down. And he also wasted time and got super injured while trying to help me. So, if possible, I would like to share any points that I earned due to his help and that he could have earned if he didn't waste time helping me.'"

Present Mic ruffled the girl's hair. "Saving someone is never a waste of time young lady. And while sharing of points is definitely not allowed, I don't think you need to worry about the boy."

The screen cut back to All Might. "**This is a hero exam after all. Rescuing others, helping people out even though they are contending for the same position and inspiring others to do the same, these are all hallmarks of a great hero. U.A. would be a fool to ignore these signs. So, we have a panel of judges hand out Rescue Points for such acts of heroism. And you scored a grand total of 80 Rescue Points.**"

Izuku started crying as he realized he had taken the first solid step towards his dream.

"**Yes, young Midoriya, not only did you score 101 points in total, your performance puts you at Number 1 for the Practical Exam. You didn't just pass, you passed with flying colours."** All Might extended a hand towards the camera, as if reaching out to the sobbing Midoriya.

"**Come, young Midoriya. U.A. is now your hero academy!"**

* * *

**I think this is an iconic moment to end this chapter.**

**I tried to emulate Ochako's accent and Iida's formal speech as best as I could. Not sure how that went.**

**Hope you don't mind Izuku taking first place in the practical exam. I know Bakugo does.**

**Until next time, **

**Caprice24.**


	3. Chapter 2 - The First Day

**Welcome back to another chapter of Defying Expectations.**

**As always:**

_Italic - Thoughts/Emphasis/Flashback_

**Bold - All Might in Buff Form**

_**Bold Italic - All Might thinking in Buff Form, cause even his thinking is in bold**_

**Disclaimer: Horikoshi is not answering my call, so Boku no Hero Academia still belongs to him. For now.  
**

**I hope you like the chapter. Any and all criticism is welcomed.  
**

* * *

Inko couldn't take the suspense anymore. Her boy had been locked up in his room for the last twenty minutes, and she could swear she had heard a sob sometime ago. Just as she prepared to enter Izuku's room, the door burst open and he launched himself into his mother's arms.

"I m-made it M-Mom! I came f-first in the Practical Exam! I am now a s-student of U.A.!" Izuku sobbed into his mother's embrace.

Inko, like any true Midoriya, teared up immediately. Her son had taken the first step towards his dream. She kissed the top of his head and tightened her embrace.

"Izu, remember what I said before? You'll always be my hero sweetie. Now, you just get to be the hero for a lot of other people as well. I know this is late, and I should have said this 12 years ago, but Izu dear, not only do I believe you're going to be a great hero like All Might, I believe you'll surpass him."

Izuku couldn't stop himself from bawling his eyes out at that. He was an observant boy, and from the morose look he saw in his mother's eyes sometimes, he knew she regretted something regarding him. On his darkest days, he used to think she regretted giving birth to him, but on hearing her words now, he understood the depth of his mother's love.

_I am blessed. My mother and All Might, it's as if all my hardships were a test to receive these gifts. I will never let them down. I'll make them proud of me!_ Izuku solemnly vowed yet again.

* * *

As the Midoriya family continued to defy biologists with the sheer capacity of their tear ducts, in a house not far away, a blonde teen was fuming.

_I wasn't first even with 93 villain points? Who the fuck came first anyway? Why does this piece of shit hologram only tell my rank and not give a leaderboard? Whose idea was this huh?_

* * *

Nedzu sneezed into his cup. Present Mic looked over with concern.

"You okay boss?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing. Can you give the entrance exam scores to Aizawa so that he knows where his students stood? He ditched the meeting again as a show of defiance for the entrance exam format."

"Sure will boss. Is it gonna matter though? You think he's gonna let a single student through his 'test' this time?"

Nedzu grinned. "Don't worry. I've made sure he won't be able to expel anyone this time around. After all, I need to make sure he makes up for the fees we paid him last year even after expelling his entire class. Kehehehehehehe."

Present Mic shivered and thanked all the Gods he believed in, and all the Gods he didn't, that Nedzu was not a villain.

* * *

Aizawa was in his apartment, playing with his cat, when he suddenly jumped up in a combat-ready position.

_What was that!? I felt a strong sense of foreboding._ Seeing no apparent source of danger, Aizawa relaxed, but the tension hadn't entirely left his system. His instincts had never let him down during his tenure as an Underground Hero, and he didn't think they were failing him now.

_Why do I feel that the coming year is going to be really troublesome?_

* * *

Izuku nervously paced at the edge of Dagobah Beach, having gotten an impromptu message from All Might to meet up just before dinner. He looked at the numerous couples enjoying the sunset view from the pristine beach and couldn't help but glow in happiness that he had put in the effort to clear it.

"Hah, someone looks like he's very happy."

"A-All Might! You're here."

The attention of the surrounding couples suddenly zeroed in on them, with excited whispers of "Where? Where is All Might?" saturating the atmosphere.

All Might grabbed Izuku's mouth and urgently whispered, "Quick, shout with me that you were mistaken and it's just a skeletal man."

Izuku quickly complied, much to the disappointment of the people around, who went back to enjoying the view.

"S-Sorry, A-All mmpphhh."

All Might silenced Izuku again. "Call me Yagi-sensei when I'm in this form."

"Okay, Yagi-sensei. Why the urgent summons? Wouldn't we meet at school soon anyway?"

"I felt guilty that I couldn't respond back to you over the week. Also, congratulations on coming first in the practical exam."

Izuku sheepishly rubbed his head.

"Knowing you, you might have some slight doubts after learning that I am now a teacher of U.A., so let me assuage them now. Nobody knew about our connection, and the only two people who know you're my successor are Recovery Girl and Nedzu, both of whom were not judging the exam. So, relax."

Izuku felt the tiny bit of tension that he had unknowingly been carrying after the results melt away. He knew All Might would never do such a thing, but his mind couldn't help but latch onto the thought that he might not have been good enough on his own and All Might had helped him out.

As if reading his thoughts, All Might grabbed his shoulders and reiterated, "Young Midoriya, everything you achieved was by your own efforts. I didn't help you at all. You even figured out how to use One for All with your quirk. I couldn't be prouder of you. Well done!"

For the second time in a couple of hours, Izuku was reduced to a sobbing, babbling mess.

_He could definitely cry a lot less though. I suppose I could give him a pass for this time._

After giving Izuku a couple of minutes to recompose himself, All Might continued in a serious note. "Listen, young Midoriya, initially I was reluctant to share this, but I figure you should know the truth. I can already feel the remnants of One for All inside me dwindling with each usage. At this rate, if I continue my normal hero work for three hours without exerting myself too much, I'll still run out of power by a year tops. I know I'm putting a severe burden on you, but I want you to promise that you'll announce to the world that you're here before I am forced to retire."

Izuku looked up and All Might saw the familiar spark of rock solid determination that he had seen multiple times over the past ten months.

"I promise All…Yagi-sensei, that I will do everything I can to make you and mom proud."

All Might ruffled Izuku's hair. "Excellent! Now, what did you do with Repel and One for All in the practical exam."

As Izuku explained his idea, All Might's astonishment grew.

"So, you're telling me that you channeled One for All through your quirk rather than your body? T-that sounds really hard."

"N-no, I j-just visualize Repel as a part of my body, like g-gloves and boots over my fists and feet. S-so I t-theorized that I could channel One for All just through them, instead of my b-body. Honestly, I w-wasn't sure if it would work, but I couldn't let the g-girl come to harm."

All Might looked at his successor in dumbfound amazement. To not only come up with a way to use One for All outside his body, but even doing it without testing to help out someone else, that bordered on crazy. The type of crazy all top heroes had.

"There's still the problem of the recoil. Recovery Girl told me my entire musculature got shredded. I guess my body really can't handle One for All huh?" Izuku looked down dejected.

"Hey, it's okay. That's what U.A. is for. All the teachers will help make you the best hero you can be. As for One for All, I'll let you in on a secret. I rarely use 100% of it at a time."

"W-What?"

"Of course. If I used it for every villain, I'd become a murderer. As you get used to its power, I'm sure you'll be able to draw only a selective amount of it to fuel Repel. Right now, I guess you could handle 3% with your training. This'll grow as your body becomes stronger until finally you can do this easily."

All Might picked up a stray can he had spotted and flexing his muscles, pulverized it in an instant, throwing the barely recognizable goop of metal into a trash can with unerring accuracy.

"**It's going to be hard my boy, but are you ready to go Plus Ultra from now on?**"

"Yeah! Plus Ultra!"

Both the 8th and 9th users of One for All struck a pose.

The beautiful moment was interrupted by cries of "It really was All Might" from the beach. The One for All users looked at each other, grinned, and ran away.

* * *

The next day, Izuku had departed early, after having a hearty breakfast. As he entered U.A. High, he couldn't stop getting goosebumps all over his body.

_The campus is incredible! I wonder where 1-A is. I just hope Kacchan and that engine boy aren't in my class._

Of course, the fate of a main character is never that simple. As he neared the massive door heralding 1-A, his ears picked up the bad news before his eyes.

"You're disrespecting the institution, the carpenter who made this table and the wood itself by your behavior. Please…"

"HUH? Who the fuck are you extra?"

As Izuku entered the classroom, he saw the engine boy make weird chopping motions with his hand as he bowed to a too-familiar blonde.

"My name is Tenya Iida, and my previous education institution was Somei Private Academy. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the now named Tenya extended his hand.

"Somei? So you're a fucking elite? Nice to have a reason to fucking end you."

"E-End? Are you sure your intentions are that of becoming a hero?" Iida then noticed the new arrival and zoomed to Izuku.

_F-fast! I think I remember him zooming around the training ground. Looks like he has a speed related quirk._

Iida bowed to Izuku. "I apologize for my behavior at the entrance examination. Not only were you a legitimate contestant, you even assisted your fellow brethren and discerned the true nature of the trial. Though I don't have the faintest inkling of how much you scored, there is no doubt that you were the better competitor. I'm Tenya–"

_Wow, he speaks fast! Guess I'm not one to judge though. First impressions aside, looks like he's just a very diligent guy._ Izuku quickly stopped Iida, "I h-heard. I'm Izuku Midoriya. I didn't discern anything, just helped out people in need. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, so your name is Izuku Midoriya huh? I knew you'll make it! I'm Ochaco Uraraka. Nice to meet you all!"

Izuku could only nod dumbly as Uraraka entered the classroom. _Such an energetic personality! She's so cute too. Can't believe I talked to such a cute girl._

The author would like to point out again that Izuku has yet to speak a single word to Uraraka.

"The way you took down that giant robot was amazing! You went all WHOOSH and then BAM and the robot went all ZOOM and BOOM!"

Uraraka's energetic words attracted the attention of the rest of the class.

"Oh, so you're the one rumored to have taken down the 0-pointer. Nice to meet you, I'm Denki Kaminari."

"You don't look like much, but I hear you took out the robot in one punch. That's pretty cool. I'm Mina Ashido, you can call me Mina."

"One punch? That's so manly my dude. I'm Eijiro Kirishima!"

Before Izuku could think or reply to his energetic classmates, a tired voice cut through the hubbub of the classroom.

"If you want to socialize, you've come to the wrong academy."

The students quickly scrambled back to their seats once the words sank in. In the hurry, Izuku didn't notice the thoughtful frown that Bakugo was giving him.

_So, that shitty teacher wasn't lying when he told me that two people from Aldera made it to U.A. Though he didn't disclose the name, I had a feeling it'd be Deku. He always had this fierce determination about him, but now I can see a sense of confidence there that was absent before. He's still going to pay for stealing my thunder. I'm gonna show him why he's an extra and become the best hero ever. _Bakugo cracked his knuckles as a sense of anticipation flooded him.

"You guys took 8 seconds to settle down. If you want to continue being a part of this academy, that should be lower next time." A voice resounded, as what could only be explained as a caterpillar stood up from behind the teacher's desk. A zipping sound was heard, and a tired, disheveled man with bloodshot eyes appeared from the sleeping bag, like a premature butterfly emerging from its cocoon. He held out a bundle and gruffly directed, "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Put these on and meet me at Training Ground A in fifteen minutes. Come late at your own risk."

As the students scrambled to comply, Izuku racked his brain to figure out why the man looked so familiar. He still hadn't arrived at an answer when he reached the appointed training ground.

* * *

Elsewhere, on realizing who the homeroom teacher of 1-A was, All Might prayed that he would see the potential in Izuku that All Might clearly could.

* * *

"You are now going to be participating in what I call the 'Quirk Apprehension Test.' And before you ask, I have full freedom to conduct the class as I wish, so there's no orientation. This is your first lesson." _And maybe your last._ "Bakugo, you scored the highest villain points, right? Come here."

As the class broke out in a murmur, Bakugo confidently swaggered up to Aizawa and took the proffered ball.

"How far could you pitch a softball in Middle school?"

"67 meters."

"Good, now go to the circle and throw the ball. You're allowed to use your quirk as long as you don't leave the circle."

Bakugo smirked, and then cocked his fist back and released the ball with a huge explosion and a muffled cry of "DIEEEEEE".

_Kacchan never changes_.

With a beep, Aizawa announced, "705.2 meters."

"What?! Is that even human?" a purple haired boy with grape like protrusions exclaimed as Bakugo returned with a confident smirk.

"It's understandable that middle schools didn't allow you to use your quirks during the PE tests as they weren't equipped to deal with it. However, it would be irrational if U.A. talked about going beyond your limits if we didn't know what the limits were in the first place. So you're going to repeat the standard PE tests; 50m dash, Standing Long Jump, Repeated Side Steps, Grip Strength, Seated Toe-Touches, Sit-ups, Softball Throw and Long Distance Run, in that order, so that we know what your current limits are. Later, we'll go about break them."

"Wow, this sounds fun," Mina exclaimed.

"Let's do our best guys," came a cheery voice from a floating set of clothes.

Aizawa's eyes darkened. "Fun? Do our best? This is U.A.! You do beyond your best here. And if you think this is going to be fun, let me add a little condition. Whoever comes last will be immediately expelled. And yes, I can do that."

A sense of dread surrounded the class as they went forth to do the tests.

* * *

First up was 50m dash. Izuku was up against Bakugo. While Bakugo used his explosions to propel himself to a time of 4:13 seconds, Izuku used repeated Repels from his feet to earn a respectable 5:01.

_Heh, looks like Deku's power has increased a bit. I guess he did get into U.A., probably by the skin of his teeth. Still, he's a shitty nerd. I wanna find the fucker who came first in the practical exam and show him who's king._

While Bakugo was pondering brutalities befitting a certain series of fighting games, Izuku was fascinated by the quirks of his fellow students and how they were using them.

_Wow, Iida just zoomed to a time of 3:04. Are those engines on his legs? I wonder if that was even his top speed since the distance was so short._

_Looks like Uraraka's quirk was some sort of anti-gravity from what I recall. She probably used it to lighten her clothes._

_It's the guy from the test. Turning around to use the laser, that's so smart…oh, so it has such a drawback huh._

_Why is Ashido running without her shoes? Wait, is that acid coming out of her feet?! That's so smart!_

_Did that girl just create a scooter out of her back? Can she create anything?! She opened the back of her shirt for it, so I'm guessing she creates it out of her skin. Uhh, I should stop starting RIGHT NOW. Wow, s-she surpassed Kacchan's time.._

_Holy…did that guy just zoom forward with ice? Didn't he almost beat Iida's time there?_

As Izuku continued to be drowned in the fascinating quirks of his classmates, he didn't realize he had started mumbling, albeit in a tone which was so low that only two people with enhanced hearing could pick it up. Both of them had the same thought.

_His analysis is scary._

The standing Long Jump proved to be quite ineffective as almost half of the class ended up clearing the pit using their quirks effectively. Izuku himself used two Repels, one to give him elevation, and the other midair to give him the distance, to just about clear the pit. Bakugo, Iida and the ice guy from before doing it easily didn't surprise Izuku, but an unassuming girl who took what looked like a casual hop and almost cleared twice the pit distance had him do a double-take. Seeing what looked like the amalgamation of a glider and a jetpack being used by the creation-girl from before was also not what Izuku had expected at all.

The Repeated Side Steps proved to be easy for Izuku as repeated Repel usage on his feet from one side to another easily shot him to fourth place. The grape-haired boy from before had inventively used his quirk to bounce between the lines shooting him to first place for the test and making Izuku marvel at his genius. Bakugo had come third, using his fine control over his explosions to propel himself from one side to the other, while the girl from before had created some sort of bouncy webbing at each end during her setup which almost made her beat the grape-haired boy.

For the grip strength test, Izuku used his Repel downwards, since using it upwards reduced the force, and used all his considerable strength, enhanced by All Might's training, to get a respectable 101 kg, placing him in the top 5. He was beaten out by a guy with massive tentacles sprouting from his back who nearly crushed the test instrument, a guy who unloaded what looked like a box of sugar onto his mouth, the creation girl who used some sort of weight system and a boy with the head of a black bird who manifested a evil-looking shadow from his stomach. Bakugo had felt a tiny twinge of irritation on being beaten out by Izuku and only landing 8th place but chalked it up to quirk suitability for the test.

_U.A. really is the best! My classmates are so freaking cool. _Izuku couldn't stop marveling at the quirks of his classmates and their inventive usage.

The next two tests, Seated Toe-Touches and Sit-ups, were more about flexibility and physical endurance than anything else. so no one went overboard with their quirk.

He placed 9th in the Seated Toe-Touches Test and thought he had done well, considering Ashido, who came first, had nearly double the score of the ice guy who had come second. The girls seemed to have some sort of edge for this test as all the boys besides the ice guy, the girls had taken all the top spots. Bakugo had come 8th, and a boy with cylindrical elbows had come 10th, concluding the rest of the boys in the top half. For the sit-ups Izuku was in the top 4 again, with Kirishima taking the top spot from Bakugo ("Sit-ups are so manly! I do them all the time."). Surprisingly, for Izuku at least, both the ice guy and the creation girl were in the top 5.

_Wow, they are so fit! They've done well in each and every test so far!_

The Softball Throw test had some really inventive usage of quirks. Uraraka straight up took first place by nullifying the gravity on the ball while scoring an impossible infinity. Bakugo had already thrown the ball before, so he didn't need to do so again, with his score standing second even after the efforts of the creation girl who had used a grenade launcher, and the ice guy who had propelled the ball with an icy blast.

Izuku couldn't stop nerding out over the quirks of his classmates and was already memorizing as much as he could to put in his next 'Hero Analysis for the Future' Volume.

As Izuku walked up for his turn, he felt a pair of eyes bore into him

* * *

Aizawa was feeling a twinge of excitement.

_This class has potential. They are using their heads. Nice to see people USING their quirk rather than just using it. However…_

_Izuku Midoriya. He's done well in all of the tests, placing him comfortably in the top 5 of the class. But I feel he isn't showing everything._

A voice from his nightmares crept into Aizawa's mind. A weak voice, apologizing. A strong feeling of regret washed over Aizawa, masked behind his tired look.

_If only I had been a better teacher…_

He looked at Izuku about to throw his softball.

_I won't make the same mistake again._

* * *

Izuku had decided he would use Repel at its furthest range, at an angle of about 37 degrees to maximize the distance. He had already approximated his throw angle to what he felt was the best accounting for friction. As the ball left his fingers, and reached the edge of his range, he activated his quirk.

Nothing happened. Aizawa's instrument pinged.

"Whaa–"

"I erased your quirk," announced an ominous voice as he felt being wrapped up in tight bindings. He was slowly turned around and came face to face with his homeroom teacher, whose disheveled appearance was replaced by floating hair and intimidating bloodshot eyes.

"Oh, you're the Underground Hero: Eraserhead! No wonder…" Izuku's words died out as he realized that this was definitely not the time to fanboy.

"Izuku Midoriya. You know, I was keeping a close eye on you during the practical exam. The innovative way you used your quirk made me think you have potential. Your spirit of self-sacrifice as you protected Ochako Uraraka was also exemplary. But has coming first in the practical exam gotten to your head?"

Silence reigned as the class registered his words. In particular, a certain blonde-haired individual was filled with shock, slowly replaced by the sparks of anger.

"What is the motto of our school? Go beyond, Plus Ultra? You think you can half-ass this test? How are you going to know your limits then? Do you think being a hero is so easy?" Aizawa all but practically growled.

Izuku tried to reason with his teacher, "S-Sir, I'm not half-assing this test. I'm s-sorry if it feels like t-that. I just c-can't control the additional power very well right now."

Looking at Izuku's sincere green eyes, Aizawa was reminded of an even older memory, of similar sincerity shining from blue eyes. He tightened his bindings, and spat out, "All the more reason to use it now. How will you control your quirk if you're afraid to use it? We have Recovery Girl and the best medical facility in Musutafu City. You have to make sure you go beyond your limits while with us Midoriya. Every injury now is an injury avoided later, which can be the difference between life and death!"

Izuku could feel the raw emotion in his teacher's tone, and so could a few of the other students. He took a shaky breath and tried to calm his nerves.

"O-Okay sir. I'll u-use all I have. But can I please do that after the long-distance run, as I feel I'll be too injured to continue."

Aizawa calmed down. "A logical explanation. Okay Midoriya, you can throw after the run." He set Izuku down.

"What are you lot looking at? Come on, aren't you next Kaminari?"

"Y-yes sir," a terrified Kaminari scampered to the circle and Izuku walked out.

* * *

A skeletal man with piercing blue eyes had watched the entire scene, as he'd been extremely worried about his protégé. Hearing his colleague's words though, this worry was replaced by concern for his colleague.

"Aizawa, when will you forgive yourself?"

* * *

A simmering anger was building inside Bakugo's skin. A blinding, irrational, all-consuming fury, threatened to come out at any time. He decided to wait till Izuku's throw before making a final judgement.

* * *

The long distance run had gone well. Izuku's constant hard work over the past 10 months and his numerous escapes from bullying meant his stamina was way above average. He finished 5th behind Iida, the creation girl, the ice guy and Bakugo, in that order, as the first four utilized their quirks to perfection to shoot ahead. Izuku had also used a generous helping of Repel to shoot his steps forward but had decided to save most of his power for the ball throw later.

As Izuku walked up to the circle, he could taste the excitement in the air. It looked like the entire class was looking forward to what someone who came first in the Practical Exam could actually do.

Izuku took a deep breath. He cocked his right hand back and recalculated the optimal angles again. As the ball lost touch with his fingertips, Izuku used the full might of Repel with One for All on it. He felt his right hand muscles get shredded as the ball took off with a loud BOOM, the resultant shockwave causing his classmates to take a step back.

_I'm not done yet._

Quickly pointing his left hand towards the ball as it neared the end of his range, he channeled everything he had again, to give another mighty push to it.

Another Boom followed as pain flooded Izuku's left arm.

The class waited with bated breath as Aizawa's instrument pinged.

"1324.4 meters."

"Aizawa-sensei, this is me at my limit!"

Aizawa couldn't help a grin forming on his face. _Maybe, just maybe, he can survive out there._

A scream of rage and indignation tore through his thoughts.

"DEKUUU! YOU WERE HOLDING BACK THE ENTIRE TIME? YOU WERE LOOKING DOWN ON ME THE ENTIRE TIME? IF YOUR QUIRK WAS THING STRONG, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THIS BEFORE? AM I JOKE TO YOU DEKU?" Bakugo snarled as he shot towards Izuku with an explosion ready at his fingertips.

Only for the explosion to peter out and for him to be bound by Aizawa's scarf.

"Katsuki Bakugo, calm down and go back to the rest of the class right now, or I will be forced to expel you. Stop making me overuse my quirk damnit, it gives me dry eye."

As the class sweatdropped at this unusual weakness, Bakugo took a shaky breath and shot a venomous look at Izuku before backing off. If looks could kill, Izuku would have died three times over and his spirit would have been incinerated before it could even think about the next life.

Aizawa quickly brought the class under control, after their uproar over the quite frankly shocking score and Bakugo's reaction took too long to die down for his taste.

"Okay, I'm posting the leaderboard in the class virtual noticeboard, so check it out while I take Midoriya to Recovery Girl." As he guided Midoriya, he turned back, and seemingly as an afterthought added, "Oh about that expulsion thing, that was just a logical ruse for you guys to put forth your best. There are no more classes today, so go home and I'll see you all tomorrow morning."

Aizawa walked away with a sadistic smile, leaving behind most of his class in a shell-shocked state, with one thought foremost in their minds.

_Aizawa-sensei is scary._

* * *

While walking towards the hospital wing, Aizawa suddenly asked, "Midoriya, did you receive this additional boost in power recently?"

Izuku started sweating. "U-Uhh I guess my quirk could always do that, it's just I only s-started trying that recently."

Aizawa's eyes bore into Izuku's. "It's okay if you don't want to answer. Don't lie to your teachers Midoriya, it's not rational." Saying so, Aizawa pointed to a familiar door, "There's the hospital wing. As punishment for your lying, I'll leave you to endure Recovery Girl's scolding alone."

As Aizawa started leaving, Izuku couldn't help but voice out, "S-Sensei, you had no intention of helping me out with her scolding anyway, right?"

Aizawa smirked, and without looking back answered, "Perhaps."

Sighing, Izuku readied himself for some bed rest and an intense scolding as he walked in.

* * *

_Man, she was so angry this time. She even threatened to amputate my arms if I come back with a self-inflicted injury in the next three days. Why are U.A. teachers so scary?_ Izuku picked up his stuff two hours later and started on his way back home, only to stop at the sight of five familiar figures.

"Midoriya, you are so freaking manly!" exclaimed Kirishima as he spotted Izuku.

"Are you all right Deku?" asked a concerned Ochako.

_D-deku?!_

"Don't call him that Uraraka. Isn't that a defamatory insult?" admonished Iida.

"O-oh is that so! I'm so sorry. I thought since Bakugo kept calling you that…I just thought it sounded like Dekiru you know. You kind of give out that 'you can do it' vibe," stammered Uraraka.

"I-It's o-okay. Y-You c-can c-call m-me D-Deku," stammered out Izuku. Inwardly he was screaming. _I talked to a girl again!_

The author would like to point out that he finally did.

"Oh. Then can I call you Izuku?" asked Mina as she got into Izuku's face.

_W-waah, she has no concept of personal space!_

"Oh, can I do that too then?" asked Kirishima.

"Me too," Kaminari joined in.

"S-Sure guys, you can call me whatever you want to. I d-don't mind."

"Cool. We were just waiting for you. Wanna accompany us to the station?" inquired Kaminari.

"S-sure."

As they started walking back and indulged in idle chatter, Iida shared the leaderboard with Izuku, who glanced over it and was happy to note he was 4th. As they continued joking around, Mina noticed something.

"Izuku a-are you crying?"

Kirishima immediately joined in, "You okay bud? Are your arms hurting? It's not manly to keep quiet if you're hurt?"

Iida chopped his arms down, "Do you require us to assist you to the hospital wing again Midoriya? Do you require us to call a teacher?"

Izuku quickly wiped his tears away. "It's n-nothing guys. It's j-just I had a sudden thought and I couldn't stop my tears. I-It's just a Midoriya thing."

"What is it Deku? It's okay, we're here for you," encouraged Uraraka as the others nodded.

Izuku gave them a teary smile, which was honestly the cutest (or the manliest in Kirishima's case) thing they had seen in a while.

"I just t-thought, that if this is what having friends is like, then its a very nice feeling."

* * *

**Sorry, I had a bit more planned for this time, but after writing that last line, I couldn't think of a better point to end the chapter.**

**The leaderboard for the Quirk Apprehension Test is pretty much the same, with only Izuku moving from 20th to 4th and everyone else from 4th to 19th going down one step.**

**I hope you like the undercurrents of Aizawa's past in this chapter. It'll be quite important later on~**

**Until next time,**

**Caprice24.**


	4. Chapter 3 - I'll be Number 1!

**This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday, but took me ages to write. We arrive at the first significant deviation from canon and some foreshadowing. **

**As always:**

_Italic - Thoughts  
_

**Bold - All Might in Buff form**

_**Bold Italic - Buff All Might thinking, cause even his thinking his bold!**_

**Disclaimer: Horikoshi demanded way too much money for Boku no Hero Academia's rights, so while I'm trying to arrange the amount, the series still belongs to him. Just till I sell enough organs.**

**Hope you like the chapter. Reviews are the lifeblood of an author, so do leave one with your thoughts and criticism!**

* * *

As Izuku walked into class slightly later than usual, Iida couldn't help but recall his words from yesterday. He stopped trying to get their group to understand the beauty of the school rule book and went to greet his friend. While they had all loudly proclaimed their friendship and even exchanged numbers on their way home, Iida couldn't help but feel disturbed at Izuku's apparent lack of friends growing up.

_He's 17 years old, and by his own admission he has no siblings, and only his mother at home. I've always had Tensei to look up to and follow as an example, but he has been denied any form of support from his peers. From his shy manner and self-conscious speech yesterday, there's no doubt he has been subjected to extensive bullying._ Iida had already shared his conclusions with the other members of the group, and they had all agreed to do their best to look out for him and help him integrate with the rest of the class.

As he walked back with Izuku to where the group was conversing, his eyes alighted on Bakugo who was burning a hole in Izuku. Thankfully realizing that his friend hadn't noticed it yet, he blocked Bakugo's line of sight with his body as the duo reached their seats.

_I have not attained even a modicum of your strength brother, but with whatever I do possess, I will make sure to protect my friends. _

* * *

Classes progressed normally for the first half of the day. Too normally, according to most of the class. Izuku had no such thoughts as he'd lapped up all the information and had been working on his 'Hero Analysis for the Future Vol. 28' between the classes. As he collected his lunch from the cafeteria (_It's made by Lunch Rush! I have to make sure that I don't waste a single bit!)_, he heard Uraraka call out to him, "Deku, come join us!"

He looked over and found that Iida, Kaminari, Kirishima and Ashido were already seated at the table Uraraka had called him to. Seating himself beside Iida and Kirishima, he couldn't help but reflect on the change in his fortunes. This was the first time he'd be eating lunch with friends.

"Hey Izuuuukuuu," Mina singsonged. "I saw you scribbling furiously between classes, what was that about?"

Izuku blushed. _Hope they don't think it's weird._ "Uhh, A-Ashido, I was w-writing out my i-impressions on everyone's q-quirks. It's s-something I've been d-doing for a while now."

"Oh, that sounds manly! Can I look through it?" Kirishima enquired.

"Try not to speak with your mouth full Kirishima, it is most uncouth and unbecoming of a hero," Iida admonished.

"Really, how uncouth is it?" asked Kaminari with a full mouth.

"Izuku, didn't I tell you to call me Mina," exclaimed Ashido after making sure she had filled her mouth.

As the group started laughing at their antics, Izuku felt a sense of belonging that he had never experienced before. Taking heart from it, he said, "I-If you guys d-don't mind, I'd l-like to ask you s-some questions a-about your quirks later." Noticing the others looking at him, he waved his hands in front of him, flustered, "O-Only if y-you want t-to of course!"

_Cute!_

Everyone synchronized in their agreement on Izuku's appeal, quickly acquiesced to Izuku's request and finished lunch. As they headed back to their class, they didn't notice one angry blonde spearing his peas and fixing Izuku with a heated stare.

* * *

As the students waited for the afternoon class to start, Izuku couldn't control his nervousness.

_It's almost certain that he'll be taking this class. I need to make sure that I don't give away our connection._ Izuku's fretting was interrupted by a familiar booming voice.

"**I AM HERE…"**

The class perked up, while Izuku looked around and panicked. _Oh no, the window is closed._

"**Coming through the door like a normal person**."

Nobody noticed Izuku's sigh of relief in the excitement of realizing that All Might would be their teacher for the Heroics Class. As he went on to explain the course details and what they would be expected to do, Izuku couldn't help the bubble of excitement forming inside him.

_First class with All Might! I'm so excited. Lunch with friends and then this, I feel like nothing can go wrong today~_

He would come to realize much later that one should never tempt the universe.

* * *

"**Our first lesson today is Battle Training. But before we proceed, I have a surprise for you." **All Might clicked a button below the teacher's desk and the wall behind him opened to reveal 20 pristine briefcases.

"**Your hero costumes have come prepared exactly as you requested them with the best materials at hand. Time to suit up! Assemble at Training Ground B in fifteen minutes."**

Izuku trembled with enthusiasm as he carried his case to the changing rooms. He had come up with numerous designs for his hero costume with his mother and it was time to finally put the result on.

As the students started filing in, All Might took a good look at Izuku's costume.

_**Hmm, those look like padded coverings on his arms and legs. Probably to help with absorbing the recoil. Have to admit, I like the green and white motif he has going on.**_ All Might's gaze moved to Izuku's hood with its wide smile and its protrusions and he almost did a spit-take. _**S-So obvious! Didn't we agree to not expose our connection. **__**I'm so thankful he didn't go with blue and red for his costume.**_

While All Might was pondering dress colors, Izuku couldn't help but be fascinated by the costumes of his peers.

_Woah, Iida looks like a Gundam robot! Kirishima's costume is so manly! Are those grenades on Kacchan's wrists?! Uraraka totally nailed the anti-gravity theme with her costume! S-She looks so c-cute in it too. A-Ashido as well. My classmates are so cool!_

All Might interrupted Izuku's internal monologue. "**Remember class, as of now, you are all heroes!**" The class erupted in a cheer at his words.

"**We'll start with indoor battle training today. Can anyone guess why this is so?**"

The creation girl, or Yaoyorozu Momo as Izuku recalled now, raised her hand. On receiving a nod from All Might, she continued, "It's because most of the battles between heroes and villains are indoors. Though the public sees a lot of outdoor fights between heroes and villains, statistically, there's a 70% chance that an encounter with a villain will take place indoors as they can then use the building and its residents to hinder the hero. As such, it makes perfect sense to start our training with indoor battle trials."

All Might coughed into his hand, "**Yaoyorozu's explanation is correct.**" _**And with more detail than I would have given.**_ "**For the next two classes, the class will be divided into teams of 2 randomly. The match-ups will be randomly decided. Over the next two classes, all the teams will get a chance to be on both the hero and the villain side. Today's scenario is–"**

The monitor behind him flashed to display 'HOSTAGE SITUATION' in bold. All Might took out a cue card and started reading, much to the amusement of the students, "**The villain team will have 5 minutes to set up before the hero team enters the building. The hero team's objective is to either capture the villains with the provided capture tape or to rescue the hostage and get it out of the building within 15 minutes. The villain team's objective is to prevent the rescue or capture the heroes. Any damage to the hostage from either side will result in their disqualification. Are we clear on the rules?**"

The class murmured their agreement as the monitor started flashing again and the teams were put up.

_Looks like I'm with Asui. Haven't talked to her before, but I guess it's part of the test to be paired with unknown people, emulating real world hero teams._ Turning to Asui, he bowed and stammered out, "L-let's do our b-best Asui."

Asui returned his bow and responded, "Let's do our best Midoriya. Also, call me Tsu." As they waited for the matchups to be determined, Izuku's brain came to the late realization that he was paired with a girl, and another cute one at that. Fighting to control his blush, he looked at the monitor. All previous thoughts forgotten; he could only look in fear at his blonde classmate who was grinning ferally at him. The monitor read:

_Match 1: Denki Kaminari and Ochacho Uraraka vs Tenya Iida and Mezo Shoji_

_Match 2: Eijiro Kirishima and Mina Ashido vs Mashirao Ojiro and Yuuga Aoyama_

_Match 3: Shoto Todoroki and Kyouka Jiro vs Toru Hagakure and Minoru Mineta_

_Match 4: Rikido Sato and Koji Koda vs Yaoyorozu Momo and Fumikage Tokoyami _

_Match 5: Midoriya Izuku and Tsuyu Asui vs Katsuki Bakugo and Hanta Sero_

* * *

As the participants of the first match went down to prepare, the rest of the class gathered in front of the giant screen which displayed the feed from multiple cameras strategically located throughout the building. Izuku took a calming breath and reminded himself to worry about his match later, as this was the perfect opportunity for him to see his classmate's quirks in an offensive setting and get a more complete picture of their abilities.

A beep sounded out and All Might announced, "**Your 15 minutes start now.**"

The class watched as Kaminari and Ochako entered from the building. On another feed, they saw Shoji head out after conferring with Iida.

"Why are they not sticking together? Isn't splitting up decreasing their fighting potential?" asked Mina.

Izuku spoke up. "I'm guessing it's because Iida remembers what Kaminari's quirk is from our discussion before. In an enclosed space, they could easily be knocked out together by an area wide discharge." He then realized he had just spoken up in front of the whole class and started getting flustered at all the attention he was garnering. Fortunately, Yaoyorozu came to his rescue.

"Shoji also looks like a capable combatant. After all, for the villain team its an exercise in stalling, so as long as he wastes their time, he is doing a good job."

All Might, who could actually hear the participants talk due to the microphones in their comms, couldn't help but marvel at how smart his class was.

As the class continued to watch, they saw Shoji arrive at the heroes' location on the second floor, with them being none the wiser.

"Damn, that's some serious hearing power to be able to accurately pinpoint their location," remarked Jiro.

"I'm more impressed by how he managed to sneak up on them despite his intimidating size," replied a voice seemingly out of thin air. Toru Hagakure, from what Izuku remembered from Kaminari's description, since she was apparently in his site of the Practical Exam.

"I can't believe you guys are looking at details like that, when the most important thing is how well that costume hugs Uraraka's figure," said the grape-haired boy. Before the class could fixate on that comment, they saw Shoji jump out with an impressive flip and smash the flooring on which they stood, making them all fall down to the first floor. Uraraka quickly patted Kaminari and herself to cushion their landing, while Shoji shook it off as if it was nothing, casually dusting himself off.

"That was so manly!" Kirishima shouted out.

While Uraraka was wobbling around with the aftereffect of using her quirk on herself, Shouji dashed towards Kaminari, tossing a few pieces of the rubble from their fall at him, which Kaminari hastily dodged but couldn't avoid completely as a piece hit his leg, knocking him down.

"What is Kaminari doing, just knock him out with your electricity!" Ashida leaned into Izuku, totally riveted by the action.

_S-so c-close._

"N-No, remember he c-can't control his area discharge yet. It'll e-end up knocking Uraraka out too, unless Shoji comes very close, which doesn't seem to be what he intends to do."

Uraraka had realized that Kaminari couldn't use any wide attacks while she was around him. She dashed at Shoji, trying to get contact to activate her quirk. Shoji swiveled around with an agility belying his size and as Uraraka fumbled past him, knocked her down with a blow to the back. He wasted no time in putting the capture tape around her wrists. As All Might asked Uraraka to leave the building, Shoji turned to Kaminari, who had watched the spectacle dumbfoundedly.

"That was a manly takedown! Say Izuku, isn't he at a disadvantage now as Kaminari can go all out?" asked Kirishima as he occupied Izuku's other flank.

As Kirishima began sparking, Izuku, squashed by both of his friends, replied, "I-It would appear s-so, unless…" The monitor flashed as electricity sparked outwards from Kaminari, destroying parts of the building and englufing Shoji.

As the discharge ended, the class was shocked to find Shoji wrapped up in his tentacles. They were covered in burn marks and Shoji looked to be in pain, but he was definitely conscious. Taking advantage of Kaminari's stupefaction, Shoji closed the distance in one jump and knocked him down with a punch, quickly using the capture tape and sealing the victory for the villain team. As All Might instructed the teams to return and the villain team from the next match to setup, Mina addressed the elephant in the room, "I know Kaminari didn't use his full power there, but how did Shoji survive that?!"

Yaoyorozu answered her question, "Electrical resistance depends upon your skin. Soft, moist skin conducts electricity more readily, while hard, tough skin doesn't. I'm not sure if it was a brave or rash move to take the electricity head on, but it worked."

"Of course it worked. That's because it was the manly move!" Kirishima couldn't suppress his excitement at the fight. The class broke out in laughter at that. He then walked out with Ashido to the waiting area for the hero team, with Izuku stammering out an "A-All the B-Best" to his friends.

The participants of the first match entered the monitoring room. Seeing them arrive, All Might cleared his throat, "**While the villain team sets up, can someone tell me who the MVP of that match was?**"

"It's got to be Shoji right? He took down the entire hero team by himself," said a guy, who Izuku recalled as being Hanta Sero, Kacchan's partner for their upcoming match.

"**Does everyone agree to this?**"

"I t-think the MVP of the match was Iida," stammered Izuku.

_**Now, that's my successor. **_All Might beamed at Izuku, motioning for him to continue explaining.

"I t-think Iida planned for the initial split-up, since he knew about Kaminari's quirk. He also probably w-warned Shoji about Uraraka's quirk. I think he might have theorized that Shoji could withstand the shock too. And I s-saw him clear the hostage room of obstacles, leaving only him and the hostage in it and thus creating ample room to use his quirk and take out anyone who did get past Shoji."

He saw Shoji giving him a nod of what looked like approval, though that was hard to discern with his mask.

"**You're right. Good plan of action Iida and a good showing by you Shoji. However, since you knew your opponents so well, a better plan of action would perhaps have been to ambush them together, rather than sending Shoji alone. I also don't approve of directly confronting the electric shock without being sure that you'd be able to survive it. Remember, overconfidence is a slow, insidious killer.**"

The two students bowed and took the criticism in stride.

"**Uraraka, while your resolve was admirable, you should have given some thought to use the rubble with your quirk to cause some trouble for Shoji. Kaminari, freezing in battle can be fatal, so make sure you remember this lesson."**

They nodded and looked down dejectedly only to have All Might patting their backs.

"**Take heart Young Uraraka and Young Kaminari. It's okay to make mistakes here. After all, the entire purpose of this academy is to teach you how to become a better hero.**" Seeing the young heroes brighten at that, he sent them back and signaled the beginning of the next match.

* * *

Kirishima and Mina entered the building and split up immediately, Mina going to the first floor and Kirishima checking out the ground floor of the four-storied building.

"Is it wise for Kiri and Mina to split up like that? They don't know that Ojiro and Aoyama are holed up in the 3rd floor, one of them might run into the entire villain team," wondered Kaminari, his experience of going down 1v2 against Shoji rising to his mind.

"They probably decided to do so to cover ground faster, as they have only 15 minutes after all. They're also probably confident they can hold their ground long enough for the other to come to their aid," Izuku surmised. _Not unlike Kacchan. Speaking of which isn't he unusually quiet…_

Izuku turned around to glance at Bakugo only to find him glaring daggers at him. _O-Okay, let's not look in that direction for a bit. H-Has he been glaring at me all this time?_

The hero team regrouped at the first floor and then Kirishima went to the third floor, while Mina searched the second. Kirishima quickly found the room the villains were holed up in and after some words into his comm piece, smashed the door, activating his quirk all over his body as he did so.

Which was fortunate as Ojiro greeted him with a powerful tail smash and Aoyama sent a laser blast his way. As the dust from the blast cleared, the villain team found Kirishima smirking, slightly singed, but still raring for a fight.

Ojiro lunged at him and the two began trading blows, while Aoyama took pot shots when the opportunity arose. After a minute, it became clear that Ojiro was much superior in hand-to-hand combat, with Kirishima's hardening being the only reason he hadn't been knocked out yet though he had been pushed back to the door by the continuous onslaught.

"I wonder if he's from Itsuka's dojo," murmured Yaoyorozu, as she admired Ojiro's crisp fighting style which gave Kirishima no opening.

"It's just a matter of time before Kirishima falls," Ochako looked on in worry.

It looked like Kirishima had other ideas, however. As Ojiro chained an overhead kick with a tail swipe, he suddenly ducked out of the way, and a pink missile slammed into Ojiro's tail. Ojiro winced and as he resumed his stance, the class could clearly see the burn marks on his tail. Using the distraction, Kirishima had already rushed to Aoyama.

Ojiro gritted his teeth and tried to engage Mina in hand-to-hand combat, but not only was she much faster and quite fresh, he had to try and avoid her exposed skin, which was glistening with acid. Meanwhile, Aoyama was continuously blasting Kirishima with his naval laser, which Kirishima was blocking with his hardened arms, while inching forward.

"It appears that the outcome of this match is decided," Iida spoke as he joined Izuku's side. Izuku couldn't help but agree with his words.

Ojiro, realizing that he was tiring faster than his opponent, put everything he had into a full body slam as he lunged at Ashido. Mina smiled at him, and then in an impressive display of acrobatics, jumped and twisted her body in mid air to avoid the lunge. As Ojiro tried to correct himself, she continued her twist and used its momentum to land a devastating kick on his back. Using the opportunity, she quickly captured him.

Meanwhile, Kirishima had almost closed half the distance between him and Aoyama, though his arms now sported light burns. Suddenly the laser user fell down, clutching his stomach and groaning. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kirishima closed the rest of the distance and captured him.

"**The hero team wins. Participants of the next match, proceed to the building.**"

As Kirishima and Mina returned, they were greeted by their group, who congratulated them for their performance.

"Shouldn't you get your arms checked out Kirishima," Ochako worriedly asked.

"Oh, this is nothing! I'll get it checked out after class. Missing the rest of the matches is definitely not manly!" Kirishima said in his usual boisterous tone.

"**Okay class, who was the MVP of the second match?**"

Yaoyorozu took on a thoughtful pose and replied, "Aoyama needs work on extending his quirk's lifetime. Getting debilitated like that would be a serious problem on the field. Perhaps he needs to pick up some hand-to-hand combat, so he isn't a one trick pony. Kirishima performed admirably, but he was too reckless. He should have waited for Ashido to arrive before charging in alone. Even with his quirk, that's an unnecessary risk. Ojiro fought well, but he shouldn't have charged Ashido as her quirk limited his combat potential. He should have tried to engage Kirishima again and leave Ashido to Aoyama. All things considered, Ashido is the MVP as she didn't make any obvious errors. She could have tried to take Ojiro out with long range acid attacks but her final kick was outstanding in its own right."

All Might sweated, "**Yes, that's right. Ashido is the MVP.**" _**Leave something for me to explain Young Yaoyorozu.**_"**Take this opportunity to learn what you need to add to your arsenal. With that said, it's time for the third match to begin.**"

* * *

Shoto Todoroki watched the timer countdown from 5 minutes patiently. He had spent the first two matches observing his colleagues and noting the fighting styles of the participants.

_My…classmates are definitely strong. But I can't let that hold me back. I have to impress All Might today. If All Might starts training me more, that'll surely irritate my…__**Him**__. I'm going to rise to Number 1, and I'll do it without __**His**__ power! That'll be the ultimate insult._ Shoto clenched his fists, unconsciously caressed his burn mark and walked out with Jiro, who had been watching him all the while with trepidation.

As they entered, he turned to Jiro, "You said you should be able to pinpoint their locations once we're inside, right?"

Jiro nodded and one of her earphone jacks inserted itself to a wall, while the other inserted itself into the ceiling of the ground floor. She concentrated and sent out her heartbeat through them.

A minute later, she looked up. "The hostage bot looks like it's in the third floor. I can make out someone walking agitatedly in the second floor. There's also someone moving down towards us. It's probably Hagakure. She's on the first floor now."

Shoto took a deep breath. "Understood. You should probably move back a bit." As Jiro stumbled back in alarm, Shoto put his hands on the floor and reached out to his right side. Ice burst out of his hands and covered everything in sight till the second floor.

He exhaled a frigid breath and calmly walked up towards the third floor. Noticing the feet-sized depressions on the first floor and the grape-head on the second floor, he announced in a monotone, "You can continue fighting if you wish to do so, however you'll tear the skin off of your feet. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to fail here."

Both Hagakure and Mineta didn't move a muscle as Shoto walked past them and retrieved the hostage, securing a victory for the hero team.

They were too overwhelmed by the casual display of absolute power.

* * *

_W-What do you even say after that?_ Izuku wondered, as the participants of the third match returned and the villain team for the fourth match started setting up. He looked at All Might, who looked to be in the same dilemma as he reassured Hagakure and Mineta and announced Todoroki as the MVP for the fine control he exhibited over his ice. The boy in question simply nodded at All Might and walked back to the corner in which he'd stood before.

The class couldn't help giving him a wide berth, even Bakugo, whose fixation on Izuku had been broken by that absurd display.

_What the fuck was that? Did he just fucking freeze an entire building? __And he doesn't even look tired!_

Bakugo's musings were interrupted as All Might announced, "**Your 15 minutes start now**," heralding the beginning of the next match.

The students looked at the monitor, expecting, perhaps even hoping, for a more even match after the last one.

* * *

They ended up being disappointed.

As Sato and Koda entered the building, they were immediately accosted by explosions which doused them in a semi-solid sludge. Before they could react, a massive shadow sprung from beneath their feet and launched them right into a net. They couldn't move any further as the sludge dried, immobilizing them. After that, Dark Shadow captured them with the tape in a matter of seconds, securing the fastest victory for any team yet.

_Setup time with the creation quirk…Koda and Sato didn't stand a chance. _Izuku thanked the gods that he hadn't been in his classmates' position. This was a match-up he was happy avoiding.

As he accompanied Asui to the waiting area for the hero team, he could distantly hear All Might praising Yaoyorozu's traps and Fumikage's quirk control and lecturing the others about how important it was to be prepared for ambushes.

_Okay, stop getting distracted me! I need to focus on my match. _Izuku looked down and clenched his fist. _I'm finally going to be facing Kacchan on my terms._

"Midoriya, do you have a plan, Kero," Tsuyu ribbited.

"U-Uh Asui…Tsu, i-is it o-okay if I m-made the p-plan?" Izuku asked Tsuyu nervously.

"It makes sense Kero. It looks like you and Bakugo know each other, so you'll have a better idea of his behavior. Plus, I heard you during the other matches and your analysis was superb, so I have no problem in following your lead here Kero."

Izuku couldn't help but chuckle nervously at the praise delivered in the blunt manner which he was fast coming to associate with his teammate.

"O-Okay, s-so Kacchan's quirk is Explosion and f-from the Quirk Apprehension Test, I remember Sero's quirk being some sort of tape he shot out from his elbows."

He then turned towards his partner, his mind whirling with the beginnings of an idea.

"T-Tsu, tell me more about your jumping potential."

* * *

Bakugo barely heard Sero's attempts at conversation before the five minutes for set-up were over. He'd carried the hostage to the second floor and then impatiently paced around while Sero started covering the ground in tape. As he heard All Might announce the start of the match, he shoved the door open and growled, "Soysauce face, make sure you tape the area before the fucking door." He then started walking down to the entrance and shouted back, "I'll go make sure we won't need it."

As he jumped down to the ground floor, he saw Izuku run through the rooms, quickly checking them for the hostage. _Where's frogface… fuck it, doesn't matter._

"DEKU! You piece of shit, I'll make you pay for looking down on me." Bakugo rushed Izuku, leading with his right fist as he intended to pummel the Repel user into the ground.

* * *

_He's gonna lead with his right fist._ Izuku had already started ducking when he saw Bakugo rush towards him. Simultaneously, he punched towards his aggressor's torso with his own right fist, and as Bakugo got flung back, Izuku pushed him further with Repel. A loud bang echoed as Bakugo crashed through a column and disappeared from view.

_That's not even close to what'll take him out. _He reached to his comm piece, "Tsu, ground floor is clear, did you find anything on the third floor yet?"

Tsuyu, who had jumped to a third floor window to enter the building, replied tersely, "Not yet Midoriya. Do you need help? I heard a loud crash…"

"It's fine, don't worry about me. I'll handle him. Keep looking on–"

A loud bang interrupted him as a fuming Bakugo broke through the first floor and fixed a murderous gaze on him.

_M-Maybe I could have used that help._

* * *

_Deku smashed me back._

_DEKU._

_The Deku who always ran when bullied by fucking extras._

_The Deku who tried to stand up for others and got beat to dirt._

_The Deku who could only push small things._

_The Deku who lied to me for all my life._

An eerie calm filled Bakugo's mind. It's not that he wasn't angry now; far from it. He was so angry that his anger meter had overshot. He took in every detail as he broke through to the first floor, in a state of hyper-focus.

As he rushed towards his ex-best friend and rocked his fist back, he saw him already preparing to duck.

_LIKE I WOULD DO THE SAME THING TWICE SHITTY NERD!_

Bakugo changed his trajectory with a last minute explosion from his left hand and peppered Izuku's back with explosions. To his credit, Izuku winced, but shot forward with a Repel assisted flip to create some distance between them. Bakugo was having none of it though as he accelerated after him with his explosions. As he approached Izuku and saw him extend his hand out, he flipped mid-air to dodge the Repel thrust and axe kicked him on the head. Seeing an opportunity, he shot forward at the momentarily stunned Izuku.

_Here's the right swing you dodged before!_

Izuku barely brought up his hands in time as a massive explosion-assisted punch tore through his body and knocked him back to the wall, tearing apart half his hood. _N-not good, I need to come up with a plan. I c-cant use Repel and One for All on him together as he might not survive it. W-What do I do?! _Izuku's mind came up blank as he noticed the expression of pure rage on Bakugo's face as he walked up to him.

* * *

_This? This can't be it. Is this a fucking joke?_

_Didn't Aizawa say Deku came first in the practical exam? With this? No fucking way!_

_DOES HE THINK I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO USE HIS FULL POWER ON ME?_

_I'm going to stand on top of this world! How DARE he come at me with anything but his best!_

"DEKUUUU! Where the fuck is the power you used during the softball throw? You think you can beat me by half-assing things? Show me your full power damnit. Stop pretending to be a weakling." Bakugo spat out as he stopped in front of the downed Izuku.

"K-Kacchan, it's not l-like that. Y-You saw what happened to my a-arms right? I don't want to use it y-yet unless I absolutely need t-to as I c-can't control it."

"Unless you absolutely need to…You fucking shitrag, you really think you can beat me without it huh? You still keep looking down on me" Bakugo removed a pin from his grenade shaped gauntlet. "Let's see if all the sweat I built up during this match is enough to make you change your mind."

* * *

_S-Shit, all the sweat?! T-that's going to be a h-huge explosion. I n-need to get away._ Izuku clenched his fist, determination coursing through him. _No_,_ I can't keep thinking like that. Kacchan wants me to face him head on. I need to do this, for him, and for me._

Izuku's comm crackled to life. "Midoriya, I found the hostage room Kero. It's at the very end of the second floor. The door appears to be taped though. I'm trying to break it down."

"N-no wait, remember our original plan?"

"You'll distract Bakugo while I take the hostage and jump out of the building? There's an obvious problem here, Kero. I can't enter the room."

Izuku could hear the gears in his mind turning as he saw where he was currently downed. "How soon can you reach the third floor room directly above the hostage room?"

"Thirty seconds I guess. Why do I go there though, Kero?"

"Just trust me please Tsu. And hug the corners of the room."

Tsuyu looked at her comm piece, which had shut off, before dashing off towards her destination.

* * *

Bakugo saw Izuku pick himself up. He waited for him to do so, he wanted to see if he was finally being taken seriously. As he saw the determined glint in Izuku's eyes, he knew that he was.

"You're going to finally use it aren't you. Come, Deku, show me what you got."

He saw the Repel user exhale and settle into a stance, reminding him of the game they played years ago in their pre-school.

"You're right Kacchan, I can't back down now if I want to be a hero."

"Here I come DEKU!" Bakugo screamed as he lunged towards Izuku, the full power of his quirk flaring in his right fist. He knew he was going to need medical attention for his hands later, but he didn't care.

Time seemed to slow down, as he noticed several things.

"I'm in position Kero," frog-face's voice crackled from Deku's comm.

Deku brought up his left arm to intercept his attack, which was pulsing with red veins of power. _What the fuck is that?_

Deku swung his right fist in a hook and he could feel the amazing power from yesterday fill the gap between them.

As the power continued to grow and showed no signs of stopping, he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his scalp. _Is that seriously shitty Deku with that much power? _

He brought his left arm to his face to mitigate some of the incoming damage. _That arm is gonna break isn't it?_

His fist contacted with Deku's left arm and got pushed back, though he heard the snapping of several bones breaking.

Deku's right fist continued its trajectory upwards, straight to his face.

And then beyond it.

The world seemed to shriek as the massive force continued upwards, breaking a hole through the second floor, the third floor and the roof, dissipating in the sky with a massive boom and clearing it of any clouds.

Bakugo looked upwards to see the clear afternoon sky and then noticed Soy-sauce face's dumbfounded expression.

What he noticed too late was a darting figure capturing the hostage with her tongue and jumping out through the roof and out of the building. He couldn't comprehend what he'd just seen.

All Might's announcement made it clear though. "**The Hostage has been successfully rescued. Hero team wins.**"

He looked down at Deku's exhausted form, who still managed a smile even though both his arms looked absolutely mangled, before falling into unconsciousness. Realization flooded through him.

_I lost…_

* * *

Izuku rubbed his head as he came with his left hand as he came out of the hospital wing.

_Ouch! Is her cane registered as a weapon? Does she have to hit so many times? Wouldn't once have been enough? At least she didn't amputate my arms._ Izuku didn't realize how close he had been to that outcome. He sighed as he glanced at the new scar on his right arm and the sling on his left.

_Well at least there's not going to be any permanent injury. Bones breaking hurt so much! _Izuku paused on realizing that he was almost getting used to the horrifying pain of shredding all his muscles. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

His morbid thoughts were interrupted as he was swarmed by his classmates…friends, he internally corrected himself.

"Midoriya, while I commend your determination, that display was overly brash. Here, I've collated the notes for the rest of the afternoon classes for you," Iida scolded him, even though Izuku could see the relief in his eyes.

"Yeah, even All Might commented on how dangerous it was to use moves like that in an indoor setting. You need to be more careful with your power dude," commented Kaminari as he patted Izuku's back.

"You can't deny that it was manly though! That last punch was so freaking cool. And you even got a new scar from it. SO MANLY!" Kirishima cheered, only to get smacked on the head by Mina.

"Don't encourage his reckless behavior Kiri! I swear, it's like you guys don't think and just charge ahead."

"I don't wanna hear that from you Mina! Why, I remember in middle school mmphhh–" As Mina covered Kirishima's mouth, Izuku couldn't help laughing at their antics, bringing a smile to their faces as that's what they had wanted.

"Are you sure you're okay Deku?" Ochako asked in concern, looking at his sling as the others mirrored her worry.

"Yeah, d-don't worry. I just need to come a bit early tomorrow morning to get the rest of my bones healed. Recovery Girl didn't want me overdoing it, something to do with the different ways in how bones and muscles repaired themselves. Anyway, I'm completely fine now!"

"Next time, when you want to do something this reckless, tell me so I can smack you beforehand, Kero," said Tsuyu as she entered the hospital wing and saw the group.

Izuku awkwardly laughed, but cheered up immediately, "But we won and saved the hostage right! Yay!"

Tsuyu couldn't stop the smile on her face at that. "Yes, that we did, Kero. Looks like you're okay now. I hope we win in the next class too. See you guys later."

As Tsuyu departed, Kaminari excitedly turned towards Izuku. "Looks like you made a new friend! She's cute too! Mind helping me get her number."

Mina smacked his head. "Isn't the number of two cute girls enough for you?"

"Two? The only 'cute' girl whose number I have is Uraraka. Who's the other?"

Seeing the menacing expression on Mina's face, Kaminari quickly backtracked, until Izuku broke out in laughter, which quickly spread throughout the group.

* * *

As they started walking to the station, Izuku noticed a lone figure near the campus gates.

"G-guys, you go on, I'll catch up to you in a bit."

"Is something the matter Midoriya? Do you need assistance," enquired Iida.

"No, just something I need to do myself." Saying so, Izuku ran off to confront his former childhood friend.

* * *

Bakugo heard steps approaching and looked up to see the last person he wanted to meet right now. Noticing the sling and the scars on the right arm, his mood plummeted further.

"What is it Deku? Come here to gloat?" he spat out, though his voice lacked its usual heat.

"No, I came here to apologize," responded Izuku as he started repeatedly bowing.

"W-What?!"

Izuku looked up, emerald green eyes boring into his fiery red. "Kacchan, I've never ever looked down on you. In fact, I've always admired you, even when you got so proud that I thought your head would burst. I saw the hard work you put everyday in developing your quirk. We grew distant, but I still wanted to be like you. I chased after your back every single day, hoping to one day catch up to you."

Izuku gulped and continued, "I beat you today, but only with a power that I received recently, a power that wasn't originally mine. The power you saw, it was borrowed to me by someone, I can't tell you who. I swear I didn't lie about my quirk before. I'll keep working hard and I'll eventually surpass you with my own power. I'm nowhere near strong enough now but…"

As Izuku's words sank in, Katsuki looked up with a flare of anger and interrupted him, "Huh? What the fuck do you mean?"

Seeing Izuku stammer, he continued, "You received it recently? Not your power? Quit your bullshit. I don't care if someone literally shoved their quirk inside your throat, it's your power now, not theirs. I want you to fucking make sure you remember that. Learn to control that shitty power of yours because you'll need it." Tears filled Bakugo's eyes, "You beat my ass today, but next time, next time, I'll kick your ass. Come at me, with everything you got. Don't you dare hold anything back. I'm not the only one you need to surpass. Did you even see fucking Icy boy? You'll fall down the wayside if you don't give it your all."

He clenched his fist and shouted, "I'll become the Number 1 Hero, and I don't want you making any excuses when I do, you hear me shitty nerd! Now, get out of my way, I can't walk home with you blocking the path."

As Bakugo started his way back, Izuku's eyes filled with tears and he shouted, "Kacchan! I'll be the Number 1. I'll come at you with everything I've got!"

He heard Bakugo shout "You better, shitty nerd" and smiled to himself.

_M-Maybe I just got my old friend back._

* * *

In a seemingly abandoned bar, a young man was screaming out in frustration.

"Oh man! How is this fucking boss even fair? No wonder no one on the server has beaten him yet."

A shadowy figure responded in concern from behind the bar counter, "You've been at it for a while now. Perhaps you should rest?"

"No it's okay. I do have a special weapon I've prepared for it. I was just testing if I'd need it." Saying so, he went back to his game. After a while, a vicious roar filled the bar.

"Take that! How do you like that now?! Die, filth! Crumble to ashes!" He then turned to the shadow from before.

"How long before the preparations are complete?"

"3-4 days at most."

"Good." Manic laugher filled the bar as the console the man had been using crumbled to ashes.

"One boss down, one more to go."

* * *

**Wew, longest chapter yet! **

**I'm not confident with how the battle scenes panned out, but I hope you liked them. **

**I've always liked how Bakugo's character develops in the manga. After all, he did win every popularity poll after the first one. I hope I can do his character justice as the story progresses.**

**Until next time, **

**Caprice24.**


	5. Chapter 4 - Calm before the Storm

**This chapter is a sort of filler/character development chapter, where I've tried to write it from the POV of other characters with a bit of plot progression. It was definitely a challenging chapter to write, one of the reasons for the delay. I apologize for that, and hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**Some people might notice that different characters have been addressed differently in POVs. For example, in Iida's POV Izuku becomes Midoriya while in Bakugo's POV he becomes Deku. Basically, how characters are addressed in a certain section of the story depends on what the person whose POV I am writing addresses them as.  
**

**As always:**

_Italics - thoughts _

**Disclaimer: Only a matter of time now till I acquire Boku no Hero Academia. Till then, Kohei Horikoshi has all the rights.**

* * *

Jiro was absorbed in the beats of 'Talking' by Kana-Boon, one of her favorite musicians from the millennium, when she got to the U.A. High Main Gate and noticed the commotion. Looking around for a familiar face, she spotted an unruly mop of green hair alongside vibrant red and electric yellow. Approaching the group, she tapped Midoriya's shoulder, attracting his attention.

"Midoriya, what's going on?"

Seeing Midoriya turn red on seeing her, she smirked internally. She had always been observant, and she'd been a very social person till middle school…till that incident. Though she had maintained an aloof persona for the last few years and generally kept to herself and her music, she liked to think she knew the characteristics of all her classmates. When she'd been accepted to U.A., her mother had made her promise that she'd attempt making friends. She didn't intend to back out on a promise; heroes didn't do that. As a result, she'd vigilantly observed her classmates for the last two days, trying to gauge their personalities.

_Midoriya, he's a shy one, isn't he? Clearly uncomfortable with too much attention, if what I saw in the last heroics class is any indication. And VERY uncomfortable with female attention…heh, there's some teasing potential there that Ashido has very clearly recognized. He's definitely much stronger than what his looks suggest, and crazy smart too, almost scarily so from what I overheard on the first day. Looks to be an interesting guy. Though I wonder what happened between him and Bakugo for them to have such an intense fight in the practicals. _Seeing that Midoriya was still floundering on his answer, she saw the redhead come to his rescue.

"Jiro right? You probably can't see the cameras from behind the crowd of reporters but basically the press got wind of All Might teaching here and is mobbing us with questions about him. That's so not manly, don't they see they're preventing us from going to our classes!"

"Hmm, this is certainly a pain. Why aren't they questioning you guys though?"

Kaminari answered, "They did, but we'd just answered like one question when they turned to Uraraka and some seniors. Poor Uraraka's been there for two minutes now!"

_I can imagine why the press didn't question them further. Midoriya probably stammered out something they couldn't make out, Kirishima probably went on about how manly All Might was and from what I've seen of Kaminari, he probably went on about how cool the classes were. Not really answers the press would be looking for I suppose. Though Uraraka also seemed like bit of an airhead, wouldn't that paint a weird picture of our class…_

As if on cue, the mass of reporters swelled and then Uraraka popped out, as if regurgitated from the press horde. She stumbled about a bit, before approaching the group, clearly looking flushed.

"U-Uraraka, are you o-okay?" Midoriya asked with concern.

"Y-Yeah Deku, I'm fine. Just, they asked me so many questions that I got confused on what to answer. So I just went with how it felt to be taught by All Might ya know. Like all WHOOSH and BLING and how seeing him initially I'd been like EH and then WOAH…"

As the friends sweat-dropped at Uraraka's words, Jiro couldn't help the smile forming on her face. _Definitely seems like an interesting group._

Uraraka was interrupted by Iida who had just arrived. "Good morning my friends. I was afraid I would be late due to some prior commitments, but it appears I had nothing to fear. What is this horde blocking the way to our prestigious institution?"

_Not only does he look the serious type, his speech reminds me of the rich kid in middle school. Kind of like Yaoyorozu, now that I think about it._ Jirou couldn't help but have a sneaking suspicion that her aforementioned classmates might be on a league of their own when it came to social standing and wealth.

Midoriya quickly brought Iida up to speed, upon which Iida looked at the reporters with a righteous glint in his eyes. "I must inform the press that they're preventing us from attaining our education and becoming better heroes. As the fourth pillar of democracy, they should know better!"

While Jiro would have loved to see the no-doubt amusing spectacle of Iida admonishing the media, the fact remained that they needed to get to class within the next ten minutes. She didn't want to risk being late as in her mind, Aizawa was just looking for an excuse to expel people. She saw Kaminari snicker and ask Iida, "Dude, you'd totally have gone on a long rant if they asked you about All Might right? You'd have spouted out a thesis on U.A. and it's exemplary education."

Iida spluttered in indignation. "You wound me Kaminari! I've been taught how to address the media by my family. I would have kept the answer succinct."

Before the group could pursue the topic of his family, a spark of insight flashed in Jiro's mind. She turned to Iida and asked, "Iida, you've memorized the school rule book right? I remember you talking about it yesterday."

He turned towards her with confusion, "You are Jiro, correct? Yes, I have indeed perused a copy of the school rule book and comprehended its contents. Is there something on your mind?"

Noticing the group's attention on her, Jiro couldn't help the small flush that entered her cheeks. "I might have a plan to get us through. Tell me, does the rule book mention anything about…"

* * *

Iida cleared his throat and approached the press blocking the U.A. Main Gate. "Attention people of the press, is there any reason for you to block the way to our prestigious academy?" Inwardly Iida groaned. _Tensei always told me to use more informal words when answering the media, but Jiro's plan requires this facade. _

As the reporters zeroed in on him, he got bombarded with questions from several sides. _Okay, her instruction was to deliver ass long winded an explanation as possible right?_ Preparing himself, Iida made sure to capture the attention of all the reporters, "I understand that all the eminent reporters here feel the need to inform the masses about All Might's new status as an educator of U.A. High. I shall strive to adequately describe how his eminent personality only furthers the heights of brilliance attained by this prestigious academy. Let us proceed from the beginning…"

The press soon got overwhelmed by Iida's verbiage and they tried to get him to stop. As all their attention was occupied, they failed to notice Izuku and the others slip past into the school. Many other students, who'd been in a similar dilemma, had also used the opportunity to sneak past the media. His objective fulfilled Iida started backing towards the main gate. "…teachings have been highly instrumental in broadening our horizons in the short duration we've been under their care. With that being said, I would like to take my leave!" He quickly went through the gate, pursed by some dogged reporters. _As Jiro foretold. _

Unfortunately, for the reporters, as soon as they tried to step into U.A., the main gate shut down in a blaze of glory and numerous barricades appeared around it. _Section 7, subsection 3b, In case of unauthorized entry into the academy, the main gate shall be barricaded for two hours and personnel will require explicit and valid identification to enter the grounds._

He saw the group waiting for him and couldn't help the smile on his face. _Tensei, you were always going on about me needing to 'lighten up' or people won't be able to get along with me. I think I might not need to do that. I think I have found people who will accept me for who I am._ He accompanied them in rushing towards class, making it with only a minute to spare.

* * *

From behind the crowd of reporters, a pale hooded man watched the barricade form with interest. _Of course it wouldn't be that easy. U.A. wouldn't be the final dungeon if it was._

He looked down at his hands, a slow, unsteady smile forming on his ragged face, hidden from view due to his hood. _This should work._ He looked at the dense crowd of reporters with disdain and decided to put his plan to action the next day.

* * *

Mina watched with some surprise as her friends entered the classroom along with Jiro. _Looks like we have might have a new addition to our group. Something definitely happened on the way. Aaahh, why did I have to wake up so early today._

She was burning with curiosity but there was no relief in sight, as before she could ask Izuku or Kiri, Aizawa entered the class with his usual lack of aplomb, a tired look on his face. Homeroom and classes occurred as normal, and Mina couldn't wait for lunch hour.

Part of it was because she was having some difficulties understanding the theoretical parts. She wasn't the brightest student out there, and it was a testament to her hard work that she had somehow scrambled through U.A. High's written entrance exam. _Even then, that had been close. _As the morning classes progressed, Mina was becoming increasingly agitated due to her previous curiosity and her lack of comprehension. _Aahhh, why's Math so hard. Come on Mina, you can do this. Nothing an all-nighter wouldn't solve._ Calming herself, Mina tried to focus through the remaining classes till lunch.

In spite of her self-assurance, her frustration was at its tipping point as the lunch bell rang. Giving a loud sigh, Mina launched herself from her desk, eager for a release and she knew the perfect people to approach. Affixing a smile on her face, she wrapped her arms around Izuku and Kiri, as the group started leaving for lunch. "Hey hey hey! What took you guys so long to arrive today morning~"

Kiri recounted the morning incident while Izuku couldn't get a word out, being flustered at her close contact. Mina suppressed a delighted grin at that. _How cute! _She could feel her frustration from earlier dissolving, and cheerfully smacked the boys on the back, "Aww come on guys, you got to have fun without me! No fair, I'm making sure that I'll be there next time. I could have just scared the reporters by acting like a deranged Alien Queen, you know."

"Ashido, you shouldn't antagonize the media as their influence can hamper the growth of your career if they perceive you negatively. As such I do not think we would have allowed you to go forth with your plan," Iida butted in at that, adjusting his spectacles. _I still can't get used to that tick of his. __It's as if someone wrote in a textbook serious character, with the glasses and all._ However Mina knew that there was more to his character than that, she'd seen how affected he'd been on learning of Izuku's friendless past.

"Ooh, Alien Queen? You watched that movie Mina? I thought I was the only one who went for such old movies," Ochaco gushed. As she went on to discuss her other favorites with Mina, the horned student couldn't help but be impressed by her friend's knowledge of old school movies. _Never took her to be a fan of Bruce Lee of all things! I didn't even think other people know him. _Mina appraisingly looked at Ochaco, knowing now that the bubbly and energetic exterior had surprising depth.

While collecting their lunches and searching for a place to sit, Mina spotted a familiar figure sitting on alone, with one of her ear-jacks plugged into her phone. Looking at her, she couldn't help but recall a similar teen with red hair in middle school, sitting alone but refusing to let the loneliness show. Making up her mind, she directed the group to Jiro's table.

As they sat down around her, she noticed the brief spark of happiness light up Jiro's eyes and knew she'd made the right decision. With a grin, she turned to her, "Hey Jiro, I'm Mina Ashido! Nice to meet you, especially after hearing about your plan this morning."

Jiro lightly blushed and started fiddling with her ear-jack. _HOW CUTE!_ "It was n-nothing Ashido. I'm sure someone would have figured something out, or maybe the reporters would have let us in if we'd insisted that we were late."

"I'm glad you guys figured something out though. Can't imagine how Aizawa sensei would be if anyone arrived late." A collective shudder went through the students at that. "Anyway, thanks again for helping my friends. And please call me Mina, I'd love to be your friend."

Jiro's small smile was still as dazzling as the sun as she whispered, "You can call me Kyouka. And I'd like to become friends with you guys too. If you don't mind me being a part of your group."

Kaminari butted in with a smile, "What are you talking about? You became a part of our group as soon as you helped us out." Assuming a haughty tone, he added, "Jiro, I shall allow you to be my friend, so be grateful." As Jiro poked him in the cheek with her ear-jack, the group erupted in laughter, happy to welcome its new addition.

* * *

Ochaco had always been a lively person. It was probably due to her parents. They would always have a smile on their face as they went about their daily life. They had a smile when their company was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had a smile when they told her to pursue her dreams and refused her help in the business.

Ochako wanted to protect that smile. She was determined to work as hard as possible for it. Hence why she'd gone out of her way to join U.A. and moved in to Musutafu from her small town, being the only one to ever do so.

She had thought it'd be hard to leave behind her friends and the hometown where she'd spent all her childhood. She was prepared for the nostalgia. And it had hurt. A lot. The very first day, she had wanted to pack up and go home. The month before the exam, she'd drowned herself in her studies and quirk practice to forget the pain.

It had become a lot better after the exams though. Surprisingly, she'd found a group of very friendly people, totally contradicting what she'd heard about city-dwellers in her hometown. The group had meshed so well that she felt she'd known them for much longer than the couple of days it had actually been.

It would have been much better if she felt that she actually belonged with the group. She couldn't help the nagging voice in her head. The voice that sneered about her selfish motives. She tried to drown it out whenever she could, but the present conversation was making it very hard.

"Iida, I wanted to ask before, but are you by any chance related to Iida Tensei?" Deku asked, turning to Iida.

Iida replied, a bit embarrassed, "I can't believe you know that name Midoriya. You're really well informed. Yes, I am related to him. He's my elder brother." Seeing the excited gleam on Deku's face and the uncomprehending looks from everyone else, including her, he continued, "Ah, he's also known as Turbo Hero: Ingenium. I had wished to conceal this initially, fearing unwarranted attention, but it seems that those worries were unfounded." _Wow, the look in Iida's eyes. It's all GLEAAMMM. He must really adore his brother._

It seems others besides Ochako had picked up on Iida's adoration. "Wow, you sound like you're really proud of him Iida," Jiro remarked.

"I am! My brother assists a multitude of people, and prizes rules. I want to follow his footsteps and be a hero who guides people and upholds justice!" The passion in Iida's tone shone through and in that instant, Ochaco knew he would attain his goal.

"Iida," Kirishima slung his arms across Iida's shoulders. "You're so freaking manly. Now that's a future hero if I've ever seen one."

Iida lightly blushed. "What about you Kirishima? What's your motivation to become a hero?"

Kirishima flexed his muscles. "I've always admired Crimson Riot! He's been a major inspiration for me. I wanna be a manly hero who people can always look up to! What about you guys?" Kirishima turned towards the other members of the group.

"I wanna be a hero so that I can help people and inspire other people with mutagenic quirks!" Mina joined in exuberantly. Ochako reflected on that, knowing that even though quirks which caused mutations in the body weren't exactly rare, there was some discrimination against it. Though it had decreased over the past few years, there were still a lot of people who thought that these mutations were a sign of evil, and that people who manifested such quirks were destined to villainy. _What nonsense, I am sure Mina will be a lovely hero!_

"I wanna be a hero cause saving people is cool," Kaminari said, scratching his cheek. "At least, that's why I initially wanted to enroll in U.A.. I thought if I was cool, people would like me, and I'd get a girlfriend and all that. However, one month before the exams, I ended up chasing away some bullies in the local playground." Kirishima looked up, a strange glint in his eyes, "I'll never forget how relieved the boy I helped looked. He called me a hero. He called me cool. I want to protect a lot of people and inspire them as a cool hero!"

Mina ribbed Kaminari, "Cool hero huh? So you no longer wanna attract a girlfriend? Or is that still a hidden motive? You know there are three beautiful girls here, maybe you can get lucky."

Kaminari smirked and made a show of looking around. "Three? I only see Uraraka and Jiro. Where's the third beauty–," his words got cut off as Ochaco heard a kick under the table, and the group burst out laughing, getting used to their antics.

After a semblance of calm returned to the table, Jiro softly continued, "I want to be a hero to prove to myself that I can help other people." The quiet resolve in her tone spoke of something in her past but nobody pushed the topic.

Deku broke the silence. "I-I have always wanted to be a hero. As a child I p-probably had a childish notion of the hero swooping in to save the day or something. But I remember when the notion of helping people c-cemented itself in me. There's this video of All Might's debut that I saw as a child. I kept re-watching it whenever I could. As I looked at it, I knew I wanted to be like him. To save people with a smile on my face. No matter how much trouble someone would be in, once they saw my smile and heard my words, they would know everything would be all right. That's why I want to be a hero!" Deku's words had gained an edge of conviction as he spoke and by the time he finished, the table could only gape at the determination pouring off him.

_H-He's so cool! So noble! It's like he's an anime main character!_

Iida turned to her. "What about you Ochaco?"

She blinked back the sudden tears that sprung up as she thought of her shallow motives. In a quivering tone, she answered, "I-I'm sorry guys. You all are so amazing. You have such honorable motivations to become a hero. Meanwhile, I'm here because I want to make money. I…," she couldn't complete her sentence and waited for the inevitable backlash from her words. She looked up, expecting to find the disgusted reactions which she felt she deserved.

She didn't find them, however. Not one person on the table was looking at her with revulsion. Confused at their reactions, she was broken out of her reverie by a hand at her shoulder. She turned to see Deku giving her a smile. "Uraraka, we haven't known each other for long. But you saved me when I tripped, and you saved me while I was falling. Whatever your motivation is, there's no doubt in my mind you're going to be an excellent hero."

Iida continued, "I also believe that you haven't told us the entire picture. Why do you wish to gain wealth?"

Ochaco couldn't stop the tears this time. "I-I want to earn a lot of money to help my parents. They run a construction company. It a-almost went bankrupt last year. When I become a hero, I'll be able to earn enough that they won't have to worry about such things a-anymore. They sacrificed so m-much for me. I-I'll take them on a long vacation. I'll make sure they l-live the rest of their lives c-comfortably."

She felt a pair of hands hug her from behind. "See Ochaco, you're as much of a hero as any of us. Don't you go doubting yourself now," Mina whispered softly from behind. Ochaco turned around and hugged her friend, burying her sobs in the warm embrace.

The voice which whispered at night about her selfish motives never reappeared for the rest of her life.

* * *

"Aww man, this is so not manly," Kirishima muttered under his breath as he saw the media horde. They had all agreed to come to class earlier than usual to dodge the press, but he had woken up late. _I knew I shouldn't have checked those last two Crimson Riot videos last night. Ugh, how do I get to class in time.  
_

Unfortunately for him, there was no Iida around to distract the reporters. He did find someone though, who might be able to do the same. Approaching the person, he carefully called out, "Bakugo, good morning."

The angry blonde looked at him for a moment and then went back to staring heatedly at the reporters.

Not one to be discouraged easily, Kirishima tried again, "Hey, Bakugo! Eijiro Kirishima here, nice to meet you!"

Bakugo turned around and growled, "Piss off, Shitty Hair. One day I wake up late and I'm interrupted by reporters and forced to talk to fucking extras."

Kirishima barely controlled the twitch in his eyes. _Shitty Hair…I just told him my name too. _He didn't bother to hide the annoyance in his tone though. "I thought you'd just scare them away with explosions. You look like the sort."

"You want me to use my quirk in public in front of fucking reporters? Are you really that fucking stupid or are you messing with me?" Bakugo spat out.

_Ohh, didn't think of that. Didn't expect him to point that out either. _Kirishima muttered out an apology and an awkward silence enveloped both of them. It was, of course, broken by Bakugo.

"Why are you talking to me anyway, Shitty Hair? Aren't you Deku's friend? Didn't the nerd tell you about how I treated him?"

"He didn't, actually though we know there's some sort of history between you guys. I figure it's between men and can be resolved though, so I see no problem in talking to you. Plus, it would be unmanly of me to judge you without interacting with you." That was true as far as he was concerned, though he couldn't be sure about his other friends. It did look like Iida bore some animosity towards Bakugo, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't very good at reading people's emotions.

"Whatever, I don't need to talk to shitty extras anyway," Bakugo scoffed though Kirishima noticed the heat in his tone was gone.

"Yeah, well you don't have to. Doesn't stop me though. Anyway, how do we reach class like this?"

"We wait."

_We wait? For what? _As if on cue, he saw his homeroom teacher and the principal arrive at the main gate and berate the reporters for interfering with the academy's operation. While the reporters tried to get more information about All Might out of the school, Aizawa made sure that a path to the main gate was cleared. Kirishima followed Bakugo and the other students into the academy. After making sure that all the students were inside, the main gate closed and barricaded itself, similar to the previous day.

_Did he actually expect that to happen?_ Kirishima wondered as he stopped and looked at Bakugo in bafflement. Perhaps sensing his stare, Bakugo turned around.

"Shitty Hair, you're creeping me out. If you don't wanna be fucking late to class, stop staring and get a move on," Bakugo harrumphed and continued his walk.

As Kirishima hurried along, one thought pervaded his mind.

_There's definitely more to him than I thought._

* * *

The perpetual tired expression on Aizawa's face had greatly amused Kaminari for the last two days, more so when he had learned about how strong their homeroom teacher actually was from Izuku. On seeing him enter the class with an even more tired expression than usual, Kaminari deduced that it must have been due to the confrontation with the reporters that Kirishima had just told them about.

"Okay class," Aizawa said in a grim tone. "There's a very important matter that has to be addressed now." As Aizawa paused, Kaminari could feel the tension in the air. He hoped it wasn't another test with an expulsion threat. As the class waited with bated breath, Aizawa softly breathed out the next words.

"You need to choose the class representatives."

_I swear he created that atmosphere deliberately._

Majority of the class raised their hands and touted the reasons on why they would be the best choice. Two days before, he would have done the same. But he'd met his friends, and while he didn't lack in ambition, he recognized the fact that a better candidate was available. He saw that Izuku and Uraraka hadn't raised their hands either.

Iida's voice broke through the cacophony. "Creating a ruckus is not a viable method to choose a representative! I suggest we do it democratically and hold an election." He looked at Aizawa for confirmation, the latter already wrapping himself up in his sleeping bag.

"I don't care how it's done. I just need the names by the end of homeroom."

"Wouldn't everyone just vote for themselves? I mean it's been only two days," Sero pointed out.

Kaminari couldn't resist and backed Iida up. "Exactly. That's why whoever manages to get multiple votes proves that they are worthy of being the class rep right?" As his eyes passed over the class, he met his friends' eyes with a question in his own. They gave a slight nod to him, the unspoken agreement established.

There was some minor grumblings, but an election was held in the end, with the results being collated by Asui, whose blunt honesty had thus far been established.

Iida ended up winning, getting 5 votes while both Yaoyorozu and Izuku got 2 votes each. Izuku immediately backed out, citing Yaoyorozu as the better candidate, and the rep and vice rep were chosen with a minor round of applause from the class.

* * *

"I'm going to diligently carry about this responsibility and make sure that the pride of my office is not smudged." Iida had been going on and on about making sure to deliver on his position since lunch hour began, much to the amusement of Jiro. They had occupied the same seating arrangement as yesterday. As she looked at her, dare she say it, friends, she couldn't help but wonder, "All of you voted for him, didn't you?"

"Yep," they all responded, sheepishly rubbing their head.

"We had to. Kaminari did a manly silent campaign for you," Kirishima exclaimed slapping Kaminari's back.

"I am so grateful for your trust in me," Iida bowed to Kaminari, banging his head on the table.

"It's cool man. I thought you were the best candidate and they agreed with me, that's all," said Kaminari. "Though if you want to be grateful, how about not scolding us if we break some rules."

"I apologize but I have to uphold the rules for everyone."

"Hehe, I knew you'd say that, but worth a shot anyway."

"Wait, if we five voted for you…who did you vote for Iida?" Ashido interrupted, a puzzled frown on her face.

"I voted for Midoriya, since I felt that he was the best candidate because of his sharp analytical skills." Midoriya blushed at that, creating a brilliant contrast between his green hair and red face.

"I did too," Jiro said. "I overheard you talking about our quirks during the first day, and your analysis was scary." Seeing Midoriya turn even redder, Jiro couldn't resist taking a jab, "It would have been interesting to have a tomato for a president for sure."

Before the group could laugh at Midoriya's expense, a klaxon rang through the cafeteria.

_Urgh, so loud._ Jiro clamped her ears shut, her extra sensitive hearing not doing well with sudden loud sounds. She saw the students start panicking, feeling some of it herself as she was whisked off her feet by the crowd rushing towards the doors.

She got separated from the group, and the only one she saw was Iida, getting pressed against a window. She never did well with crowds, and taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. Suddenly, a hand shot out, grabbing her firmly. Her brows raised, she saw Midoriya confidently pull her to the side, where the others, minus Iida, were already present.

Away from the infectious panic, she found her own panic melt away and observed that some other students had also created small bubbles of calm amid the storming students. A breathless Iida soon joined them hastily explaining, "I overheard some seniors mentioning that this was a level 3 warning bell, whose meaning was that our academy has been infiltrated. Apparently, such a situation hasn't happened in years. However, while I was pressed against the window, I observed that it was just the media. We need to inform the student body about this immediately!" Turning to Uraraka and Midoriya, he continued, "Can you lift me up above the crowd and by the doorway? That should attract their attention."

They nodded and quickly went to action. Iida got slammed into the gate, though he didn't look any worse for the wear, and shouted out at the top of his lungs.

"STUDENTS OF U.A.!"

Jiro hastily clamped her ears shut again, seeing Midoriya's eyes soften in sympathy. He quietly handed her his earphones, which she gratefully accepted, never needing the device normally due to her quirk. Iida apprised the students of the situation and berated them for panicking, and soon the student body calmed down and he was released by Uraraka and Midoriya.

"I knew you were the best choice for class rep," Kaminari grinned. As the group proceeded to the zone designated for school-wide alarms, joking around without a hint of panic, Jiro couldn't help but think back to her mother's earlier worries.

_Mom, you don't have to worry anymore, I've made some good friends now._

* * *

"I'm home," a gruff voice echoed as a pale man entered the dingy bar, shrouded in a hood from head to toe.

"Welcome back," a shadowy figure responded from behind the bar. "Everything went according to plan?"

"It sure did. Metal corrodes much faster than you'd think. I've got the schedule. Looks like the final boss will be there in U.S.J. tomorrow. All our preparations complete?"

"Yes. They're not all up to mark but there are a lot of them."

"It's okay. They're adds anyway, just for distraction. What about our secret weapon?"

"Sensei sent it to us today. He said its ready to go and will obey you fully."

"Good," the hood fell and a scarred face with a manic grin emerged. "Tomorrow, we proceed with the plan." Taking out the schedule he had pilfered, he clenched it in his fist and watched as it turned to ashes.

"Tomorrow, we raid the final boss. Tomorrow is the day the 'Symbol of Peace' dies."

* * *

**So, was I successful in expounding on the relationships between our characters? Do let me know with a review or DM.**

**While I've tried not to use any Japanese honorifc, try to imagine them in your head if you feel it's odd. For example, Midoriya would be Midoriya-kun and so on. The only honorific I intend to keep are sensei and maybe senpai later.**

**Until next time,**

**Caprice24.**


	6. Chapter 5 - The USJ Incident - Part 1

**I'm back with a new chapter. Sorry for the delay, we live in a chaotic time now, what with the pandemic and all. **

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I request all my readers to stay home and stay safe. Remember, where there's health, there's hope! Practice Social Distancing and enjoy the numerous stories on this and other fandoms! **

**I shall endeavor to release chapters more frequently during this period. Do drop me a review with your thoughts and criticism.**

**As always:**

_Italics - thoughts _

**Disclaimer: My efforts to acquire Boku no Hero Academia are currently on halt as I'm practicing Social Distancing.**

* * *

Izuku sent his mother a message as soon as he boarded his train for U.A.. Scrolling down his contacts to do so, he couldn't help but marvel at the new names in his list.

Every morning, he'd wake up and think the past few days were a dream, that he wasn't really in U.A. and hadn't really made any friends. Every morning, he'd look at his phone and have his doubts dispelled by the slew of good morning messages on the group chat, created by Kaminari after the first day. He felt blessed, and when he'd shown it to his mother, both the Midoriyas had shed quite a few tears of joy.

After the hounding media attention they'd been subjected to in the past couple of days, the group had decided to meet up in front of the school early. Izuku decided to send a message in the group chat about the one member he was concerned about.

_AllMight – Kirishima, are you awake yet? If so, please respond here._

_AlienQueen – Don't worry Izuku, I called him as soon as I woke up. That sleepy head was up watching Crimson Riot videos again lol._

_ManlyRiot – Come on Mina, outing me like that is so not manly! Don't worry guys, I'll be there soon._

_TenyaIida – I'll b der in anoder 15 mins._

_Pikachu – …The difference between how you talk and how you type still gives me whiplash lol._

_BruceLee – Same! Never thought Iida would be one for short forms. xD_

_RockBeat – And I never thought you'd set your chat nick as Bruce Lee, Ochaco. That's so against your personality that idk what to think._

Seeing their messages always made Izuku smile, as even on the screen, their vibrant personalities shone through. He spent the rest of the time on the train scrolling through the news when something in the article on U.A. caught his eye. As he reread it in disbelief, a feeling of dread started gnawing at his insides.

* * *

"Hey Izuku, you okay bro?" Kaminari asked in concern as the group reached U.A. High's Main Gate. They'd met up as scheduled and held casual conversation while walking to school, but he'd noticed Izuku being unnaturally silent. He'd usually chime in on something on the other in his endearing stuttering way.

Alerted by his question, Izuku got a variety of concerned looks. He immediately waved them off, "I-It's nothing. I j-just need to c-check something."

Kaminari caught Iida's eye. They'd both noticed the additional stutter in Izuku's voice, which only happened when he was very nervous, usually due to Mina encroaching on his personal space, or when he was hiding something, as was the case before he told them about how he'd been bullied throughout his childhood. He still refused to talk about his and Bakugo's relationship, but except Kirishima, the group had an unfavorable impression of Bakugo, suspecting him to be one of Izuku's chief tormentors.

Before they could question him any further, Izuku stopped near the gate, and crouched down, looking around. Confused, his friends looked on, until he stood up, pinching something between his fingers.

"Guys, what would you say this is?" he asked in a perturbed tone.

Iida looked at the grayish-reddish powder curiously, "It appears to be some sort of rust, though that's strange. I'd expect U.A. to have high grade steel reinforced doors which don't corrode with ease."

"I caught a snippet in the article on U.A. that the press wrote yesterday. Apparently, the media was able to get in because the gate suddenly broke down. How does a solid gate break down though?"

"You think it's the work of a quirk?" Kirishima asked, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Would the media really go that far though? They could get sued for this."

"You're right Jiro, they wouldn't. That's why I think someone else did this."

Kaminari picked up on the undercurrent of dread in Izuku's tone. "What do you mean Izuku? Why would someone do this?"

Izuku turned towards him, "I don't know Kaminari. But to me, only two possibilities come to mind. Either it's a prank…"

"Or?" Ochaco asked in trepidation.

"It's a declaration of war against U.A.."

* * *

Seeing the usual tired expression on his homeroom teacher's face was a reassuring sight for Izuku. He hated himself for burdening his friends with his fears and had tried to laugh it off, reasoning that it would be foolish to declare war on a school of aspiring heroes taught by pro heroes, but he knew that they were all perturbed by what he'd said and nobody had spoken a word on the rest of the way to class.

His thoughts were interrupted by Aizawa's announcement. "Today, we have a special practical class scheduled for the entire day. We'll be teaching you rescue maneuvers in different scenarios. The location is a surprise. Meet me in front of the Parking Lot in 30 minutes. You can wear your hero costumes if you want, though keep in mind that not all of them might be suited for rescue missions."

The excitement of an entire day of practical lessons drowned out his worries and he soon changed into the U.A. Gym Uniform and reported to the Parking Lot, being one of the first to do so. Seeing Iida already present in his hero costume, Izuku was a bit shocked. _How did he dress up so quickly?! I just put my U.A. uniform and the leg shock absorbers, but he had to put on the full Gundam Uniform!_

Noticing his glance, Iida greeted him warmly, "Hello Midoriya. Is your costume still under repairs?"

"Y-Yeah. I sent in some new design suggestions for my arm shock absorbers so it's taking a while. Uh…does your suit like assemble itself on you?" Seeing Iida's befuddlement, he knew that wasn't the case. "Uh…never mind, I just thought it looks hard to get into."

"Oh, you do not have to worry my friend. The Iida family is taught how to maneuver into our hero costumes from an early age. My costume has only 81 components. so it isn't difficult at all. My brother's costume has 143 components and he still manages to suit up in lesser time than me! I still have so much to learn."

He could feel the enthusiasm in Iida's words though its contents were giving him a headache. _81 components…do I consider my shock absorbers as 4 different components or just 1. Even then, do I even have more than 10 parts to my costume? What the hell does his costume include? MaybeIshouldtakealookatthedesign…_

His inner musings were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the class, after which Aizawa arrived, driving a bus. They quickly got seated and departed for the mystery destination.

* * *

Asui, who was seated beside Iida and Izuku, addressed the former, "I generally speak what's on my mind. I thought you'd make us stand in a line or something."

Iida adjusted his glasses in indignation, "As Class President it is my solemn duty to organize our class, but I shall only do so when required. I had already asked Aizawa sensei to furbish me with details of the seating arrangement of our transport, and as you can see, a line for seating wasn't required."

Izuku couldn't help the giggle which escaped his lips at Iida's answer, on which the latter looked at him with a dangerous glint in his eye and made karate chop motions with his hands. His giggles turned into full blown laughter at that point, which his friends joined in. Iida blushed though his small smile indicated that he didn't really mind the teasing.

Asui wasn't done with her questions though. "Midoriya, I noticed that when you use your quirk you tend to make fists. Is that necessary?"

"N-No Asui…Tsu, it isn't. It just helps me visualize where I'm using Repel. However I do need to use my hands as my Quirk is channeled either from them or from the feet."

"Hmm, makes sense. You know, with your explosive power, if you actually went around punching people, I'd have thought you were All Might's secret love child or something."

Izuku sputtered at that and turned red as a tomato. _All Might's love child…_Before his thoughts could travel down that particular path, Kirishima interrupted, "His quirk's so cool though. Powerful and flashy, like Todoroki's and Bakugo's. Would make them extremely popular with the masses."

Izuku saw the doubt in Kirishima's eyes and immediately addressed it, "Your quirk is super cool too Kirishima! Plus, I think what makes a hero flashy is not inherently how their quirk works, but how they use it and how they interact with the people."

"Exactly," Kaminari chimed in. "Can you even imagine Bakugo being popular with that attitude of his?"

"What did you say you fucking bastard?"

"See?" Kaminari said in smug satisfaction and turned towards Bakugo. "Our acquaintance has been brief and yet already we have been made apodictically cognizant of your personality, redolent as it is of a turd getting steamed in a sewer."

"W-What the fuck kind of vocabulary is that? I'll fucking kill you," Bakugo spluttered.

Iida put a hand on Kaminari's shoulder. "That was a beautiful put-down my friend."

Kaminari clasped his hand. "Learning from the best."

The class sweat-dropped at their bro moment while Izuku couldn't believe that for a change, Kacchan was the one who was being bullied.

The rest of the ride was spent in jokes and other frivolities.

* * *

The imposing sight of their destination filled the class with awe. Izuku couldn't help but think about the scale of U.A.'s budget to be able to maintain such a site.

"Is this Universal Studios Japan?" exclaimed Kirishima, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"Well, it is U.S.J., just not the U.S.J. you're thinking about," an unknown voice responded. Turning to the source of the voice, Izuku found a familiar spacesuit-clad hero.

"Comprising of the Ruins, Conflagration, Downpour, Landslide, Flood and Mountain Zones, this facility was designed by me to simulate rescue scenarios in all kinds of scenarios. This is the Unforeseen Simulation Joint!" As she encompassed the facility in an expansive gesture, Mina sidled next to Izuku and whispered, "Wouldn't Unforeseen Simulation Center or Unforeseen Simulation Facility or Unforeseen Simulation Training Ground make more sense? I'm sure the joint is because of the similarity to the other U.S.J.."

While Izuku agreed with Mina in spirit, currently he was busy fanboying over the space hero. _Thirteen is so cool! One would expect that with a quirk like Black Hole she'd be great against villains, but she instead specializes in Search and Rescue. She has the 4__th__ Highest Number of Successful Rescues in the World and the highest number of Rescues in Japan!_

Izuku then noticed that he wasn't the only one enamored by the Rescue Hero. Ochaco literally had stars in her eyes with how starstruck she was, a fact that Thirteen had noticed, if her bemused reaction was any indication. Clearing her throat she continued, "Rescue Operations are an important part of any hero's work. While fighting villains is glorious, most of a hero's duties actually involve saving people from various disasters. Being able to use your quirk to save people is an important quality that you need to develop."

She raised a finger. "As some of you might know, my quirk 'Black Hole' allows me to suck in nearby things. While it's very useful for removing debris or saving people from precarious situations, it took me a long time to exercise enough control over my quirk to prevent it from turning the people I save to dust."

Looking at the rapidly paling expressions of the students, she continued in a solemn tone, "All our quirks are dangerous and can cause deaths if we aren't careful enough. As a result, it's important to get an idea of what you can and cannot do during rescue missions. Heroes generally develop a mental block while exercising their quirks on humans, which is the reason that heroes don't overdo it and kill villains. In this and subsequent classes, you'll learn to do the same."

Izuku drank in Thirteen's words. _A mental block to prevent killing people with my quirk._ He clenched his fist. _I need to develop enough control so that I don't accidentally harm others with my Repel and One For All._

Aizawa, who had been hitherto quiet, chimed in, "The class will be divided into four groups and they'll carry out rescue operations in the different zones, overseen by us. Now–"

"Surprise Raid Incoming!" A scratchy voice cut through Aizawa's words, catching everyone's attention. Izuku saw wispy darkness cover the ground in the center of the facility, from which a pale man, covered in what looked to be hands, emerged. He couldn't get a clear view of his face due to one of such hands covering it.

A shiver of dread ran through the assembled people, the cause of which was not the pale man, but the spectacle behind him. It could only be described as a monstrosity, with a grinning mouth, exposed brain and huge muscles covered with purple skin. It's eyes were vacant as it lumbered behind the seeming leader, who raised his voice.

"Where is All Might? Wasn't he supposed to be here? How do we conquer this dungeon if the final boss himself isn't here?"

* * *

While he scratched his neck in agitation, Aizawa looked at Thirteen who discreetly shook her head and put up three fingers. Izuku noticed the gesture and paled. _All Might's three hours are up?! _

Iida asked the question in every student's mind, "Sensei…is this a form of additional pressure during our rescue operations?"

Aizawa tightened his battle-scarf and covered his eyes with a pair of yellow goggles. "Stand back, this is not a part of your lesson. They appear to be villains. Thirteen here will stay with you while I handle them both."

The villain leader suddenly let loose a cackle of laughter. "Both? Even if we were only two, you wouldn't have been able to beat Nomu here. But do you take me for a fool? Who comes to the final boss dungeon without a raid party?" As if his words signaled something, the darkness below him crested and suddenly a horde of villains appeared in front of him.

"Perhaps the final boss would come if we started doing some damage? How about KILLING SOME STUDENTS!" A wave of bloodlust accompanied his words, causing the class to flinch.

Aizawa grit his teeth and stood in front of his class, as if shielding them from the bloodlust. "You'll have to go through me first!"

Izuku saw the numerous villains and heard the determination in his teacher's tone. Panicking, he whispered, "S-Sensei, your quirk won't help against a c-crowd! W-We can help!"

Aizawa smiled at him, "Midoriya, no hero is a one trick pony. Besides, it's a teacher's job to protect his students." He then jumped down and rushed towards the mass of villains.

* * *

Aizawa rushed headlong into the villains, his mind rapidly working out his plan of action.

_This villain has gun like protrusions on his shoulders, probably some sort of emitter. Erase and Incapacitate._ His eyes flaring red behind his googles, he proceeded to take advantage of his opponent's confusion and sent a devastating kick to his chin, knocking him out.

_Whistling sound from behind, Duck!_ He dodged a heavy blow from behind. _Looks like mutant type, heavy torso, weak spot must be legs. _Manipulating his battle-scarf, he entwined the legs of the villain and sent him tumbling. Aizawa quickly knocked him out with a kick to the side of the head and turned around.

_She looks like she is going to spit something, and the guy behind him is pointing his hands at me. Erase and turn on each other._ He erased the quirk of the guy and using his scarf brought him between him and the woman who couldn't turn away in time. The guy got engulfed in a gunk of slime, incapacitating him, and Aizawa took advantage of the woman's shock, rushing in and delivering a karate chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out.

The surrounding villains didn't rush at him now, wary with how easily he had dispatched their comrades. They slowly encircled him, waiting for him to make a mistake.

Aizawa smirked internally. He suddenly flipped onto his arms and pirouetted, his scarf flailing in a circle around him. It caught the legs of multiple villains, launching them into the air and into each other, while he took advantage of the chaos to flip to the nearest villain, whom he had determined to be a non-mutant type, taking him out with a solid punch to the solar plexus. Seeing that the crowd of villains in shambles, he gave a grim smile.

_Time to show them why it's a bad idea to break into a school for Heroes._

* * *

"Heh, I knew they were extras, but I didn't expect them to do so bad against a side boss."

"Tomura Shigaraki, do you want me to intervene?" the wispy darkness which had taken the form of a familiar bartender enquired.

"No, they're fodder and they're doing their job. I'll step in soon anyway." Shigaraki fixed the distant students with a glare. "Kurogiri, why don't you ensure the students get a tour of the facility here? Something akin to a final tour."

"As you wish."

* * *

Class 1-A watched with awe as their homeroom teacher dispatched hordes of villains with ease. _This is what we're aiming to be._ Izuku couldn't help the shiver of excitement on seeing a pro hero up close going against all odds.

Their enrapture was broken by Thirteen. "Quick students, stay close to me and we'll proceed to the exit." As the class hurried to follow her bidding, the wispy darkness from before materialized before them.

"I'm afraid I can't let you escape so easily," announced a surprisingly cultured voice as the darkness reformed into a man wearing an elegant suit with a body comprised of darkness. He continued in a polite tone, "I'm sorry for not introducing ourselves and just barging in. I'm Kurogiri and We are the League of Villains, at your service."

Thirteen pointed one of her fingers at him, ready to use her quirk at a moment's notice. "Why are you here? You must be crazy to attack a hero school?"

Kurogiri tilted his head. "Crazy? Perhaps, but then again all forms of revolution begins with what appears to be madness. As for our purpose, it's simple." Here, his body flared, creating an ominous aura around him. "We want to kill the Symbol of Peace."

As his words sank in, several things happened at once. Bakugo and Kirishima rushed in, aiming blows at Kurogiri's head, Todoroki let loose a blast of ice aimed at his flank followed closely by Aoyama releasing his naval laser; Izuku used a blast of Repel to launch himself at Kurogiri from the other flank, Ojiro following at his heels. Unfortunately, all the attacks passed harmlessly through the villain and as they emerged on the other side, Kurogiri gave a bone-chilling laugh.

"You certainly are the golden eggs of the Hero Society. Too bad you might not make it through this day. Why don't you have a little tour of the facility?" Accompanying his words, the ground beneath all the students turned dark, and as Izuku started falling down the portal, he heard Iida cry out in anguish.

* * *

Iida looked on, aghast, as his friends disappeared into the darkness. He, along with Uraraka, Sato and Koda, had been pulled away from the portal by Thirteen's Black Hole, as they were the closest to her. He collapsed onto his knees.

_I failed them. I failed them all. I am supposed to be the Class Representative and I couldn't even save one of them. I could only watch as they were swallowed by darkness. I…I am a shame to the Iida family. Tensei would never have allowed this to happen. _

As Kurogiri chuckled again, Iida looked at him, full of venomous rage. _I'll make him pay._ However, before he could act on his baser impulse, a voice cut through his rage-induced haze.

"Iida. Iida! It's okay. I'm sure they'll be fine! Snap out of it!"

Slowly, Iida turned his head and saw a worried Ochaco peering down at him. Thirteen came up behind her.

"Don't worry Iida. My sensors tell me that the students have been teleported to the various zones. The alarms didn't go off and my messages for help aren't going through outside. Probably someone with an interference quirk. We need someone to go out and get help, and from what I've read about this class, you're the fastest and hence the best suited to do this."

Iida looked at his teacher and the grim tone of her voice indicated that she was much more worried than she was letting on with her words. _What am I doing! I cannot be having a breakdown now! My class needs me._ Getting back to his feet, he straightened his posture, determination filling him. "Sensei, do you have a plan?"

"Yes, I do. I will distract him with my quirk. You make a run for it. Uraraka, Sato, Koda, help me out. He will most likely turn my attack back on me, if I have gauged his abilities correctly. I'll try to modulate the power so that I don't get hit too bad. Don't worry about me, and just ensure Iida is able to reach the gates."

Iida and the others were shocked with how casually Thirteen was referring to being hurt. Seeing their expressions, Thirteen's voice softened. "A hero must always be ready to sacrifice themselves. And how can I call myself a teacher if I'm not ready to do everything to help my students? Go now!" Turning to Kurogiri, she activated her quirk. "Would you mind coming here, dear Villain?"

Kurogiri started being pulled in by Thirteen's Black Hole. Concentrating, he created a portal behind the Space Hero, redirecting her quirk onto herself. The back of Thirteen's suit ruptured, and she collapsed. Kurogiri however didn't relax his guard and noticed Iida running off towards the exit. Summoning his quirk, he got ready to intercept, when his instincts blared and he ducked, barely dodging a humongous boulder chucked by Sato with the help of Uraraka.

"We won't let you!" Uraraka shouted out in defiance as Sato growled his assent, already picking up another boulder. Kurogiri spent the next few seconds dodging his way to Iida, but the latter had already started accelerating to Gear 5 on nearing the exit. With a last look at his friends and teacher, he shouted out, "Believe in me my friends, I'll get help as soon as possible!" His words were heard by every single member in the facility.

He then rushed off, leaving dust in his wake.

* * *

Todoroki and Mineta had landed in the Conflagration Zone. The zone was supposed to be filled with burning buildings to simulate rescue scenarios during fire. Supposed to be. Right now, the entire zone was covered in a sheet of thick ice which Todoroki had released as soon as he had landed and ascertained Mineta's position. Both of them had landed safely, one using his ice as a sloping platform and the other using his hair to bounce off the ground.

Talking a deep breath to warm himself and moving to the nearest villain captured in his ice, Todoroki sent a chilling glance and in a frigid tone said, "Ten minutes before frostbite sets into your extremities. Twenty minutes before you die of Hypothermia. I'd rather not have to kill someone, so you will answer every question I ask. To the best of your abilities."

Mineta watched in fascination as Todoroki got the villain to spill out everything he knew over the next couple of minutes. He couldn't help but be thankful that the powerhouse was not a villain.

After extracting all the information the villain had, Todoroki knocked him out with a punch to his head and proceeded to do so for all the remaining villains. He then got them out of the ice with a short burst of fire from his left side. _I think I was quick enough to prevent frostbite. Hngh, even if I wasn't, one or two toes less on a villain won't hurt anyone._

The two students heard Iida's declaration and as Mineta sobbed in relief, Todoroki turned to him.

"I'm moving to the Central Plaza. You are free to do as you wish." As the grape-haired boy looked at the unconscious villains and then scrambled after him, Todoroki clenched his right hand, subconsciously summoning some ice on it. _Kill All Might with that purple monster? As if he is that weak! He's a real Hero, he won't die to some pathetic villain._

His mind filled with the image of a particular flame covered hero._ I won't let it come to that anyway. I'll freeze it solid. And if that ends up impressing All Might and he takes me as his protégé, well that would be akin to spitting on __**His **__face._

* * *

Seeing the ground looming up, Kirishima used his quirk and braced himself in preparation for the oncoming impact. Which never came.

Something wet and slimy wrapped around his torso and deposited him safely on the ground. Looking around, he spotted Tsuyu sitting beside the remains of a building and a fuming Bakugo someway behind her.

"FUCK, I had it under control, there was no need for you to help me down damn froggy," Bakugo seethed as he walked towards the group of villains he had spotted.

Tsuyu's tongue lashed out, striking Bakugo on the back of his head. She calmly responded to the flabbergasted teen, "No need for the language Bakugo. And my name is Tsuyu. Either call me that or don't call me at all kero. There are villains here you can take out your anger on, so quit looking so irritated kero."

_That was so manly Tsu! _Kirishima cheered. For a moment, it looked like Bakugo wanted to say something to the frog girl, but then he harrumphed and rushed towards the villain group, an explosion already on his palms.

"Wait up Bakugo, let me help!" Kirishima shouted, as he too ran to join the fray. However, by the time he reached his classmate, the explosive teen had already taken out the majority of the villains with two huge concussive explosions.

He saw a villain with what appeared to be scythes on her arms try to cut him, but a simple harden accompanied with a punch to the side of the head knocked her out. Another villain with canine features leapt at him, his teeth elongated in preparation for a huge bite, but he was tripped on the way by Tsuyu's tongue and then taken out by a kick to the face by Kirishima.

"Even though it looks like he charged in blindly, he made sure to take out the ranged attackers, leaving only the melee fighters for you kero," Tsuyu remarked in her usual blunt tone.

"Yeah, he's much smarter than he looks. I guess he does want to be a hero after all."

The two watched on as Bakugo launched himself into the air and then twisted his arms to take out the last group of villains with a huge explosion. As he was preparing to land, Tsuyu's tongue shot out and caught him, depositing him roughly on the ground.

_Let's not actively antagonize him_. Kirishima sweatdropped. Surprisingly, Bakugo just huffed and didn't say anything. Wanting to make sure his classmate's temper was in check, Kirishima cheered, "Way to go Bakugo! That was a manly takedown!"

"Tcchh, these were fucking small fry. Not even worth my waste of sweat." At that moment Iida's declaration reached their ears. "Looks like Four-Eyes made it out. I'm going to the Central Plaza, I wanna smash that handsy bastard's face in." Saying so, Bakugo launched himself away with some small explosions. As he created some distance, he looked back and growled, "You coming or what?"

Kirishima and Tsuyu exchanged a wry smile and then chased after their tempestuous classmate.

* * *

Kaminari flailed around as he saw the oncoming body of water. _Oh shit! What do I do, WHAT DO I DO!_ His mental screams were cut short when a roll of tape wrapped itself around his torso and whisked him off to the huge ship sitting in the midst of the water.

Sero grinned down at him. "Looks like I caught a Pikachu!" Groaning at the terrible joke, Kaminari looked around and saw Tokoyami standing calmly on the deck, his quirk casting a looming shadow over him.

"These cretins think they have us cornered. They think they will show us the sweet embrace of death today." Kaminari shivered at the ominous tone of Tokoyami's voice, hearing it for the first time in a while. He followed Tokoyami's gesture to take in the sight of numerous villains with seemingly aquatic quirks advancing towards them. One of them had a shark-like fin protruding from his back and was grinning savagely at the students on top of the ship.

"Yeah but doesn't look like the villains have any idea about our quirks. I mean, sending Kaminari to an area with water is pretty stupid on their part right?"

Tokoyami's face lit up in a chilling smile, mirrored by his quirk. "Why don't we make the villainous characters pay for their insolence? Let us show them the true meaning of pain. Let us fill the air with their screams of agony!"

Before Kaminari could react, Dark Shadow scooped him up and unceremoniously dumped him in the water. As he saw the villains approaching him, Kaminari could only think. _Oh shiiiiiiittttt!_ He then discharged his entire 'safe' capacity into the water, instantly frying his brain and electrocuting the villains.

His mind in a haze, he barely noticed Sero lifting him out from the water and Tokoyami carrying them to dry land on Dark Shadow. He faintly heard Iida's words and tried to cheer his friend's name out loud. All that came out from his mouth was, "Yayyy~"

Tokoyami looked at the incapacitated Kaminari and muttered, "Perhaps it was too dark a plan for our comrade-in-arms here. I shall endeavor to communicate such nefarious details in advance next time. Come now Sero, let us spread our darkness and bathe in the blood of the forsaken while proceeding towards the Central Plaza."

Sero nodded dumbly, following his edgy classmate, while dragging the wayward Kaminari with his tape.

* * *

Shoji saw Aoyama use small bursts of his laser to slow his descent to the Landslide Zone. Seeing a rock outcrop, Shoji extended his tentacles, forming a chain of several hands and grabbing Aoyama, while his hands firmly dug into the outcrop. Collecting his strength, he threw a heaving Aoyama onto the rock and then pulled himself up.

The rock shifted but held firm after a bit of wobbling. Turning to his classmate, Shoji created a mouth from one of his many tentacles and asked, "Are you okay Aoyama?"

Aoyama dry heaved, but then turned to Shoji with a twinkle. "Don't worry Monsieur Shoji, this is but a trifling matter. This won't stop me twinkling~"

_Where do the stars in the background even come from?_ Shoji wondered. His keen hearing reminded him of a more pressing matter. Extending some of his tentacles and sprouting eyes on them, he carefully surveyed the scene below.

"Looks like there are some villains below waiting for us. Do you feel up to fighting Aoyama?"

Aoyama clutched his stomach pitifully. "I think I can squeeze out one big blast, but that'll be my limit. I will have to leave the spotlight for you this time~"

Shoji looked at the rock they were standing on. _One blast should do it._ He turned to Aoyama with a gleam in his eyes.

The villains below had no idea what hit them. One moment they were loitering around, waiting for the easy prey that they had been promised by Shigaraki, the next a massive boulder dropped on them from above, wrecking their lines and knocking several of them unconscious. As if that wasn't enough, Shoji erupted from the top of the boulder like a righteous demon and laid waste to their ranks with explosive fury. Projectiles and other attacks bounced off harmlessly from his tough skin while a single punch from him was enough to knock out any remaining hapless villain.

Shoji looked around at the wanton destruction caused by him and the rock outcrop. _These were small fry. _Just then, Iida's words rang out and were easily caught by his sharp ears. Looking down at the downed Aoyama, who was clutching his stomach and groaning, he said, "Let's head towards the Central Plaza. The others are probably headed there too. Here," he lifted Aoyama and easily slung him over his back.

"No, you don't need to. I can walk myself~"

"It's okay. Don't worry. Let's go." The reticent teen set off for the plaza, with Aoyama causing sparkles to form over his head, making for an impressive and rather trauma-inducing sight.

* * *

Ashido looked around wildly, the heavy rainfall in the Downpour zone impeding her vision. She could vaguely see the ground coming up and prepared herself to roll with the fall to take minimum damage. At that moment, she saw Yaoyorozu diving towards her, Hagakure and Ojiro connected to her right hand via cables which sprung from her skin. Yaoyorozu grabbed her right hand and then shouted, "Hold tight!"

The back of her costume ruptured, and a massive hand glider erupted out of it. Their descent slowed and turned into forward momentum, and the group safely landed in the midst of the Downpour zone.

Their respite was short-lived however, as a group of villains appeared in their midst with cackles of laughter. Ashido quickly took a fighting stance, mirrored by Ojiro, while Yaoyorozu stepped back, appearing to hand something over to Hagakure.

"Oh my, looks like we got some pretty ladies here," a villain with a wolf's head whistled. "How about we strike a deal ladies? You two come with us and we leave the boy alone. He gets to live, and we'll show you both a good time."

_Two? They didn't notice Hagakure!_ The others appeared to reach the same conclusion. Yaoyorozu whispered something to both of them. Ashido nodded in affirmation. She assumed a flirtatious tone.

"You know, personally I'm not into the animalistic type of men. Sorry about that, However, we can take a picture. Say Cheeeeesseeeee!" She immediately closed her eyes, Ojiro and Yaoyorozu doing the same, while the latter threw something in the air. The sky lit up with a blinding flash, causing the villains to howl in pain as they tried to shield their eyes. After five seconds, the flash died, but the students didn't give the villains any room to recover.

Ashido charged in, coating her hands and legs in a mild viscous acid. She spun on her heels, flipping herself forward while bringing down her legs in a vicious kick on the wolf-head villain's maw. The villain crumpled in a heap, and Ashido used her momentum to throw out a few more kicks, tripping more villains and causing them to shriek in agony as the acid kicked in. Her fighting style was reminiscent of a dancer swaying to an unheard rhythm.

"Don't be such babies, it's just a mild stinging acid. You should be grateful I can't throw any due to this downpour."

Ojiro meanwhile had joined the melee with his signature tail attacks, pounding the villains with heavy blows or launching them into the air, where they would be quickly brought down by sharp blows from Yaoyorozu's Bo Staff. Suddenly, sharp cries of anguish started coming from the villain back lines where the ranged fighters started crumpling one by one. Confused, the villains looked around in bewilderment, not noticing the sharp glint of the stun gun in Hagakure's hands until it was too late. She single-handedly decimated countless villains, creeping onto them like death on a still night, and the within minutes the entire villain force was on the ground twitching, either due to the heavy blows, the stinging acid, or the after-effects of the stun gun.

"Yaomomo! This stun-gun is amazing! Can I keep it please?" asked Hagakure with a dangerous edge to her tone.

Flustered by the nickname, Yaoyorozu nodded dumbly, Hagakure giving a cheer and hugging her classmate. Just then, Iida's words rang out, clearly heard by them all.

"Way to go Iida!" Ashido cheered aloud for her friend. "Guys, let's get out of here. We totally kicked ass with these punks, but we should probably regroup."

"I agree. Heading to the central plaza seems like the best option under these circumstances," Yaoyorozu managed to mutter out around Hagakure who was still stuck to her side, excited by her new toy.

As they walked out of the downpour zone, Ashido couldn't resist herself. "So _Yaomomo_, seems like you enjoy having a naked classmate stuck to your side. Didn't know you swung that –" The rest of her words were drowned out by a mirthful shriek as Yaoyorozu materialized her Bo staff again and chased after her.

Ojiro muttered to no one in particular, "Guess I'm the only normal one here."

* * *

Izuku observed the oncoming mountain, his mind in overdrive. _Okay, priorities. Number one, Don't Panic. DON'T PANIC. It's just a mountain, this is just an everyday occurrence in the life of a hero. Number two, is there anyone around me. _He looked around and saw Jiro a few meters away, free-falling with a scared but determined expression on her face. Gritting his teeth, Izuku used small bursts of Repel to get himself near her and grabbed her from behind.

"Jiro, can you please trust me for a bit," he shouted at the startled girl. She heard the fierce determination in his voice and nodded. Izuku flipped himself so that they were falling vertically and started mentally calculating.

_At this rate, we'll fall in six seconds. I need to Repel at…NOW! _He channeled the full might of his quirk at his feet, unconsciously channeling a bit of One for All as well. He felt the recoil jar his legs, but his efforts succeeded, halting the duo's free-fall about 30 feet from the ground. As Izuku felt gravity reassert itself, he twisted around in the air again, shielding Jiro from any damage from the rest of the fall with his body.

As the adrenaline started to die down, he realized that he was in extremely close contact with a girl, a very cute one at that. His face blushed like an overripe tomato.

"J-Jiro, are you okay?"

Jiro looked up with a grin, making him realize that she had deliberately stayed so close even after they landed. "I'm okay Izuku, but are you? Your face is so red that I fear you might have caught a fever." Izuku grumbled and rolled out from under her, Jiro laughing throughout.

"Seriously though, you need to work on your landing if you want me to trust you in the future."

"Y-Yeah, will do."

Their jovial mood was short-lived however, as out of nowhere, a massive rock encased fist appeared. Both of the students had sharp reflexes and dodged in time, which was fortunate, as the fist left a massive crater on the ground.

Izuku saw the huge villain, completely encased in rock, swing towards Jiro, and surged forwards to meet the fist with his own, subconsciously channeling Repel and One for All through it. A massive shockwave resulted from the clashing of their fists and then the villain was blown back.

_Nooo, did I kill him?!_ It was then that Izuku noticed his arm was still functional, implying that he hadn't used One for All at 100%. He sighed a breath of relief, shelving away the information for later, as he saw a group of villains charging in. They were promptly staggered by Jiro, who had plugged in her ear jacks to the amplifiers on her feet.

_Wait a minute, are these villains stupid? Why are they standing near the cliffside of the mountain? We can just run away right or..._

Izuku's eyes alighted on the massive crater caused by the villain's punch earlier and the cracks caused by the shockwave when he had blown him back.

"Hey Jiro, do you think the villains will survive if they fall down the cliff?"

"I think so, it's not that high and most of them here look to be the mutant type. But why are you…" Jiro saw what Izuku was looking at and a grin lit up her face. "Leave it to me Izuku."

She unplugged her ear-jacks from the amplifiers and instead plugged them directly into the crater. For a couple of seconds nothing happened, and the villains, who had recovered from the sound blast earlier, resumed their charge. Then a massive crack split the air and the ground fractured from the crater, destabilizing the mountainside. The villains watched in shock as the ground under their feet tilted and made a last ditch scramble to get to the students, but Izuku managed to push them back with some well-aimed Repels at their legs and the villain force fell off the cliff, a broken mountain accompanying them.

"I sure hope Thirteen isn't too angry with us," Jiro smirked, panting from her recent exertion.

Izuku looked at her in awe. "That was pretty amazing. I never knew you could channel your heartbeat through anything! Maybethismeansyoucouldbeableto…"

"Izuku, don't get lost in your thoughts now!"

He sheepishly rubbed his head and apologized.

"Thanks for the compliment," Jiro muttered, a light blush on her cheeks. Her words were however drowned out by Iida's loud proclamation, reminding the two of their current situation.

"I guess we should go back to the Central Plaza and regroup. I am still a bit worried about Aizawa sensei."

"Izuku, you worry way too much. Did you see how easily he was handling the wannabe villains? Even we beat up the sorry bunch waiting for us here."

"T-That may be true, but that purple monster…"

"Fine fine, let's go. Let's try not to get in his way though."

* * *

As the students from the various zones gathered at the Central Plaza, roughly at the same time, they were greeted by a gruesome spectacle.

"Oh, looks like we have some spectators here," announced Shigaraki in glee, his hand hovering inches above a bloodied and beaten Aizawa's face.

* * *

**Am I evil for ending the chapter at this point? Possibly.**

**Next chapter will have some repercussions for our heroes.**

**Until next time,**

**Caprice24.**


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